shortgal

This is so sad. The original poster felt the same way and seems to have had a change of heart. I wish your surgeon had suggested you wait a month before removing it. It's normal to feel bad, depressed and hurt after surgery. You aren't eating normally and are recovering. I had no reflux, but I had gas and yes a heavy feeling in my chest. I was dizzy and lightheaded a few times. I was recuperating from anesthesia and surgery. That is all normal. By day five I felt better and after 2 weeks much better. The rumbling and grumbling in my stomach took some time to go away, as my body got used to the band and the way I was eating ( or really drinking). I think you should have given the band a fair chance before removing it. One week is not a fair chance. I'm sorry you felt you had to take that drastic of a step, but I'm glad you are feeling better now.

Beautiful name. Where's the pictures?

I'm getting tired of his long drawn out story. But he's not getting tired of telling it, so I'm sitting back and waiting for the eventual ending. Whether we respond or not, I have a feeling he can't help but finish his story. And interesting that he is noting how much "interest" there is in his thread. Likes attention. So far, I know that at least.

Gina, I've not been banded a year yet, but I can hear your sadness when I read your post. It must be so frustrating for you. I have noticed some people on here mention that they feel their bands are either too tight or too loose. Has your Dr. tried the tiniest of fills? Some people need to really sneak up slowly on restriction. I think we all want some really strong signal of fullness from our bands and I guess for some of us, it might be a more subtle message. I think I need a little more fill, because my signal of fullness is kind of weak and I don't get that signal when I'm eating but AFTER I eat. so I have to control my portion and then wait for the signal. The band hasn't yet stopped me while I'm eating and said STOP. I don't know if that helps you or is even appropriate for how your band works for you. I hope you can find a way to work with your band.

TxArcher: Way to go! Look at that ticker (and BMI) going down, down, down! I know what you mean about being a weight you haven't seen in a very long time. That's where I am. I have not been in the 170's since, well I guess it's been so long I can't even remember, but it's been over twenty years! Congratulations and Happy moving.

Welcome Pounder and great job on the weight loss!

Navy will be very flattering. Just go slow with the eating and maybe try softer foods first ( like meatball consistency)and then gradually go to really solid foods ( like grilled/baked chicken). Take small bites and chew carefully and then you'll know. I always get afraid after a fill trying real food all over again, too. don;t worry, you'll get into that smaller dress.

Oh, I knew you meant for people to try something to learn to understand their band and not advocating eating spaghetti every day. LOL. Like you, I am over four months out and the fear of getting stuck or hurting my band kept me on the straight and narrow post op path for a while. Then I got hungry. I just knew I didn't want to gain weight, so I just figured I'd diet like I did before until I got restriction. That's when I learned the same thing you learned (we just learned them in maybe similar but different ways) that the band was working, a bit, and then I knew I had to understand how to make the band and the head work together. Some days that's easier than others. But when real restriction comes, maybe I won;t be sliming or PB'ing so much because my head is ready and listening. I have a friend that had GBP and I think she thought it would be a miracle, too. I watched her lose and then re-gain some, so I think I was not hoping and testing my band in case it was a miracle. My friend still has to work at it the whole eating thing and I know I'll have to, too! This is no easy way out!

I am staying on plan today because it's working, Scale is down, again. And my plan includes a 3 mile walk today!

This idea is kind of similar to my saying to learn to "listen" to our band, even before we get restriction. But I do it a little differently. I eat a weight watchers portion or the serving size the package recommends ( like 3/4 c of cereal). I eat that portion, I stop eating. I wait one hour, then I listen to what my stomach is telling me. Still hungry? Well, it's been one hour so I can drink and I have a bottle of flavored Water. I listen again. Many times, while I feel I could still eat, I also find that I'm satisfied enough to wait until the next meal, if not, than an apple or a 100 calorie snack holds me over. I know we don't want to "diet", it isn't dieting, it's retraining our head to listen to our stomach. We don't have to wait until perfect restriction to start this. And thinking that restriction is THE answer, will not work for long. If we choose to eat around the restriction, we will be able to. Some people are just ready to learn to work with the band sooner than others. The others just attack people for suggesting that they try these alternate approaches. I'm glad, Fanny, that you have already learned to listen to the messages your band is sending you. You know it is working and so do I.

How long have you had your band? What kind of band is it? When did the problems start? What were your symptoms when you started having problems? What diagnostic testing did you have? You say this will be the Fourth surgery you are having, what were the other three and why wasn't the band removed in a previous surgery? If you are going to make a post like this you should expect that people will want more specific information. If you are trying to help people then this is the type of information that would be helpful. How can we catch a problem right away without knowing what to look for? How can we prevent getting to the place you are? for those of us already banded?

Name..............Start...........Current.................Goal........ To Go Lizzie_07.........233...............228.5.....................220 ..........8.5 Osangriared.....252...............251.....................232 ..........19 Skinny_Jill.......180...............176.....................168....... .....8 Sades.............197...............197.....................185....... .....12 kandiceb..........187...............178.....................175....... ....03 shortgal............183..............177....................175....... .....2 TxArcher..........328..............320......................308....... ....12 Peaches11........217..............208.....................199......... .10 Momto1plus1.....223..............217.2..................210........... 7.2 zippykat...........173..............167.....................160....... ...7 Trixie...............219.5...........215.....................199...... ....16 wnt2lose..........219..............213.6.....................209...... ..4.6 plump_princess....215.............210.....................199........1 1 Mariegabrieleee....250............250......................239........ 11 Foofy..............239.5............237.5...................230....... .7.5 Shalee04..........196..............192......................185....... .7 Hollyberries......267...............262......................254...... .8 CindyG............215...............213......................199...... ..14 Down 2! Yeah! Don;t think I'll make the challenge goal. I have one more week and then I leave for vacation. Hope to get one more pound off before I leave, but more importantly, I hope to NOT gain while away! I'm better when I have a scale around that I can hop on to be sure I'm not going up. At least I have a fill appt the Monday I get back. Like Sades, I'm still waiting for that sweet spot and I already have 8cc's in my band. You guys are doing really great!

The types and portions of carbs matters, but that's is true of most foods. A diet of large portions of bacon, cheese, enriched flour products and corn syrup can kill you. If all you eat is Protein, where will fiber/calcium in your diet come from? All protein does not work for me and most people cannot sustain it long term. My two cents.

Yeah, that "how much have you lost" question can get old, especially if the number doesn't go down. For some of us it takes time for our head to catch up with the band and then it's the whole fill thing to deal with. Being overfilled is one way to NOT lose weight, as contrary as that sounds. It seems like you've at least used this time for learning. Advice, continue to count those calories. I would add, limit your carbs to green veggies, whole grains only ( no white bread) and no fat for milk and dairy products and get some Fiber in. Oh and don;t forget Water. Basically just practice those band rules that those Dr's and nurse's told you. There are web site to track your calories, but I just jot them down on a pad. I do look calories amounts online. I just type in "calories in chicken" and there it is or I use my old weight watchers books. Nice to have you here.

Congratulations Grandma! Name?

No one can argue with your success, Yes, pushing away once we start is a problem most of us can relate to. Maybe the fill will help with that a bit more.

Wow, all that weight gone with no fills, it's like winning the lottery! There is one person i know that was banded the same month as me and she hasn't had any fills and is losing great. good for you. With no fill 3 to 5 pounds a month is still remarkable. Not feeling hungry is what we're all searching for. And during this time, you've learned that much of our hunger is head hunger or old habits.

Hey Yaz, Seems you're over that bad period you had in the beginning. You were freaking out a bit, but you got past that time. Glad things are better for you now! What color dress will you be wearing?

Has it occurred to you to try to read the subtle restrictive messages your band might send you, while you're waiting for restriction? If you read my previous post in this thread, I have said this is hard. It is as hard as any diet, I've been on and I've been on many. It is not just hard for YOU. It seems you just want validation from others for your visits to Taco Bell. Isn't that behavior one of the things that gets us fat, joining up with other fatties to over indulge? I am not perfect. I don't have super willpower. But I am working hard to listen to my band. And it is talking to me, just not loud enough yet, that will come with restriction, but I'll be ready to listen to it, will you? I guess it's hard to hear your band talking to you, what with all the chewing going on.

Roxie, Sounds like you're on track. Maybe what you needed for a boost was the fill. Wishes, how'd you get to be so tall? LOL. You know the thinner we get the taller we look!

Ok, so that answered one of my questions. Any one of us with a band worries that at any time we could be the ONE with a complication. I dont think you can come on here and state certain things, with one short original statement. I do think it is very hard to explain a complicated situation but then perhaps if you've waited this long to tell your story, then waiting until it's over and then explaining it in more detail might be prudent. So far, if the surgery can wait, then upcoming surgery might not be any more life threating than any other surgery. Aren't all surgeries potentially life threating? A young girl recently died during PS. Personally, if I was in the middle of all this, I'm not sure I would be in a place to begin to warn others of the dangers yet. I'd worry about getting my life back first and my own family and when it was over I'd warn people. And certainly millions would get warned, if your whole story goes public to the degree of lawsuits and talk shows.

Kat, you're the best! And I still didn't get my questions answered! I think it's important to say that I'd like to believe the OP, but totally not enough info for me! Oh, but I do have the name of two new books to read. If reading books about health, diets, weigh loss, worked ( I have a shelf of them) then I wouldn't have needed a band either. He might be directing this to people not yet banded, but has he considered that the ones of us that are banded would like to know exactly what happened. Is he not worried about warning us already banded what to watch for?

Yes, Penny I know your opinion on this, but you see there are other opinions as well. There are all kinds of support, some of it is tough to hear, like when a Mother tells her kids not to do something they want to because she fears it will hurt them. I have said this journey is hard and I have said many times that until we get restriction it's very hard. But for people that are five weeks or less post op, I would think that even if they can't control their hunger and might eat a little more than they should, couldn;t they at least make good/healthier choices. Since the band will not prevent certain foods from going down easily, wouldn't it help our long term efforts to practice some of those eating habits, even without good restriction. I'm not talking about losing weight during this time, I'm just talking about those people that might not be making healthy choices, so soon after being cut open. I do not try to ridicule people, just suggest that they get back on a track so they will be successful in the short term and the long term. Tough love works for some and hand holding works for others.

I realize that you are "addressing" this to people not yet banded, however they also might not have enough info yet about the band in general, but they read your post and you scare them shitless. The problem I see is that you say you don;t have time to answer our questions, but you answer other things. One question I asked ( and you havent' answered) is If your problem is "life threating" then why is surgery being postponed or is able to wait until May 7th. How long have you had your band? When did the problems start? What diagnostic testing did you have? You say this will be the Fourth surgery you are having, what were the other three and why wasn't the band removed in a previous surgery? If you are going to make a post like this you should expect that people will want more specific information.

Amen, saqueen!