shortgal

Welcome! Why not check out the Doctors and hospital threads, you might find someone else that has used the same Dr. Or use the advance search at the top right of the forum page and put the Dr's name in to find other threads. You'll also find threads for groups of people being banded the same month as you or the same age group as you or with the same amount of weight to lose etc. I've found it helpful to connect with people in a similar place. Just like it's hard for our "thin" friends to understand us, how can someone that started at 200 pounds, understand how you feel at a higher starting weight, but in general everyone on the forum is helpful and supportive no matter what our differences are, we all have the band and being obese in common. good Luck on your journey.

Nope, starting to love my band! I was frustrated waiting for the right fill level but this whole experience has been great. Very little pain, nice weight loss, feel better, down at least two sizes. I rarely get food stuck or slime or PB ( so far) so I'm very happy and BTW I was self pay and think it was worth it.

By the fourth day I felt better. The first couple days I described like an elephant was sitting on my chest. It's from the gas they pump into the belly to inflate it to have room to work. Walk around the house as much as you can and many people have said a heating pad helped them. I tried the Gas X...did nothing. I think that's because the gas is a different kind and isn't in our colon or intestine like gassy food is. Be sure to sip Water ( or whatever your Dr told you to drink) so you don't get dehydrated.

Third day into my last fill and so far, I'm liking it. Not too tight, I think I could use .5 cc more, but I am FINALLY feeling full between meals. Still on softer food, so the next few days will tell me how chicken and firmer Protein goes down, but it's great to feel close. I would love for this feeling to last until my next fill appt! I know there is some restriction because I get that mild left shoulder pain when I inhale strongly when my band is full. Finally, I feel like I have a band!

Were you ever a "normal" weight? As if so how big were they then? Most likely they'd be the same but older and droopier depending on your age. I guess it also depends on how big you'd like them to be once you're at goal weight. You can find VERY supportive sports bras. Try some catalogs like "just my size" I think they have them. They are even labled for different levels of activity. do some online searches.

For years I have said "i'm not too fat for my height, I'm just too short for my weight". I'm 5 feet tall, used to be 5 feet and a 1/2 inch, but I guess I shrunk in the wrong direction! Clothes.... don;t even get me started. Why would a manufacturer think short people only need shorter pants? Don't they think we need shorter dresses, sweaters etc, too? If the average woman is 5 feet 4 and under and american women are heavier than ever, than doesn't it stand to reason that a good portion of the overweight women will be short? I have tried things on that make me look like a five year old playing dress up with mom's clothes. Shoulder area hanging loose, length that supposed to be knee length but on me hanging on the floor and the long sleeves that make me look like I am a wizard. The new 3/4 sleeves and capris and ankle length pants have made life somewhat easier, but until I can get into regular petite clothes shopping is tough. I have found that right now, Talbots Women's Petites size 16 fit me almost perfectly... of course they are expensive.. and when you lose a size in a month... that really gets expensive. And petite clothes mostly go up to a size 14 or 16 and they are cut smaller ( just check the size charts) so we really need to weigh much less than taller people to start getting into clothes that fit us. An average height person can shop in Misses, which will go up to 18 or 20. I don't count on ever being a "normal" weight. I figure I will always be in the overweight category. I'm 56 and let's face it, metabolism slows down as we age and the lowest weight I was as a young Adult was 128 pounds, and that is the upper limit of normal. But I would be delighted to get to and MAINTAIN 140 pounds. I could easily go into a store and find something to wear and look good. Overweight people know that thin people don't understand how hard it is to shop but overweight tall people have no idea how many fewer clothes choices overweight short people have. I'm probably about 10 to 12 pounds away from the regular petite department and I just got a fill I finally think will work!!!!! Life is good today! Funny thing is before I got banded, all my husband heard from me was "I have nothing to wear" and now thirty pounds later I am saying the same thing. I have outgrown all my clothes in the closet and buy the very minimum to get by. Nice to meet you all, fellow shorties! BTW, my husband is 6 feet 3 in tall! Isn't that a sight? LOL

Desiree, Give us more info. How large is your band. How much fill do you have? Do foods get stuck? Do you log your calories and track your Protein intake? According to your signature info you've only had two fills? how much each time? I've had six fills and have been banded only three months. Maybe with more info we can offer suggestions.

We lose our good intentions before being banded because hunger calls us. With the band, the hunger subsides or is more easily controlled. Now this doesn't always happen from day one after surgery. You might have some restriction immediately after surgery from swelling around the band and there are a few people that never need a fill to their band. Most of us however need our bands filled to just the right level (everyone is different) and then our hunger is more easily controlled. Please find the thread by Wendell on "how the band works" and "how fills work" understanding the band will help you acheive success. That thread helped me so much. After three months and six fills, I believe I have now almost reached my perfect level of fill. As I lose more weight, the fat around my band will shrink, the band will loosen and I'll need a little more fill to get it tight again. Even without my band being tight, I've lost almost 30 pounds since surgery and I was never able to do that before being banded. That's why it's different this time!

I just did some research online about the differences between ale and lager. From what I read there is a difference in Natural carbonation and "forced" carbonation and it seems that even ale can have some natural carbonation. It also seems to vary by the brand. I'm not a beer drinker or a scientist, I guess the answer is, it bothered your pouch and now that you know that, you'll be more careful. We all have to learn what our bands like or don't like and those things can change in time or change after a fill or adjustment. This includes food and drinks!

I had a clear liquid diet for two days before surgery. Any CLEAR liquid was ok. I drank light apple juice, broth, flavored water, tea. I was so excited to be close to my surgery date that I just did it. The hot broth, low fat, low sodium was a nice change from the cold drinks.

817 Javi: Please check in with us and let us know how you're doing.

Who doesn't have second thoughts about elective surgery? I was walking 3 miles about five days a week BEFORE surgery and since surgery I haven't done any exercise, as it's been very cold here. I've still managed to lose weight. Sure I know exercise is important for weight loss and weight maintenance and I will get back to my walking. What do you expect a personal trainer to tell you? A surgeon does surgery so they think surgery is the answer, the trainer does exercise, they think exercise is the answer, the nutritionist thinks food is the key and they are all right, but it's a balanced combination that makes this work. Some band people will use both food intake and exercise equally, some will use more exercise than less food and some will lower food intake more drastically and exercise less. We each find our own path. I thought I could avoid surgery and do this myself. I worked hard for 10 months at dieting and walking and lost 30 pounds. I then regained half and knew I was just fooling myself and I needed help. Before I could regain the other 15 pounds, I had the surgery. I have lost almost 30 pounds in a little over three months, that before took me 10 months to lose. Obviously the band is the difference I needed. Just my personal experience.

When your 30 years old, things like low Iron levels and other nutritional deficencies don't seem important or take a back seat to the idea of fast weight loss. But in a year when you have those issues after GBP, you might wish you took the slightly longer route of lapbanding. This should be about your health and in the long run, I just think the lapband is safer. Losing all my weight in one year vs. losing it all in six months just didn't seem worth all the added possible complications.

Good Luck Longhorn, I have a strong feeling that you have a fibroid. I hope I'm right. I know how hard it can be to wait for a Diagnosis. Several years ago my husband had a biopsy on his prostate and we had to wait for the results. Turned out he did have cancer. We were very surprised by the news, he was only 54 at the time, but we're grateful it was detected very early. He had surgery and is doing fine now. He has bloodwork every six months now as a followup. Let us know as soon as you hear, I'll be thinking postive thoughts!

Welcome! You might want to check out the age related threads on the forum. There's a group for people in their twenties that might be helpful to you. Go to the main lap band page and scroll down to the "support" groups and you'll find the age based groups. There are many groups here for support based on how old you are, how much you have to lose, how fast or slow you lose weight. Plus, threads about exercising, food, receipes etc. Check them all out and learn as much as you can. I always suggest to newcomers that they read the thread about how the band works, particularly the info about "fills". Getting adjustments or fills can be a process and many seem to be confused or have lots of questions about that. I did too and found the info very helpful. Good Luck on your new journey.

Positives: Less risky surgery, no rerouting of my insides, no malabsorption of nutrients. No dumping syndome. Adjustable. Negatives: Slower weight loss. Both groups can struggle with weight gain once weight loss is acheived. Our brains are very smart in finding ways to eat around our surgeries. It takes dedication no matter which you choose, but both are "aids" to help us, so I chose the less risky, less invasive one. What happens to GBP people as they age and they have low Iron levels etc.? both procedures can be done laproscopically, if your Dr. doesn't do them that way, I'd find another Dr. Every person that gets either procedure do it because they have been unable to stop eating something, if these procedures didn't help no one would be successful and many are, so the procedures do help, it's a matter of to what eventual level of success each person achieves. Does your Dr. think you're the only overweight person that likes biscuits and cake?

How you feel after a fill in the office can change once you get home. I seem to get some initial swelling after a fill, that doesn't happen in the office, it gets a little tighter later that day and takes a couple days to go down. So it can be difficult to determine how much to put in. I have also read threads on the forum from people that were fine when they left the office and then felt so tight later they couldn't swallow their own saliva and some even had their fill with flouroscope which is supposed to be more accurate. I think it's better to sneak up on our sweet spot. Being too tight is not good for the band or good for us. After this past fill, I am feeling the tightness in a different way. I have mild left shoulder pain from the nerve that runs from the belly to the shoulder, so I think I'm getting closer to good restriction and I will ask for a smaller fill next time from the usual 1 cc I have been getting. Probably .5 cc depending on my hunger between meals. I would not ask for larger fills but I would ask to come as often as every two weeks for another one until you feel you are getting close to good restriction.

Carbonated drinks like beer and soda are not recommended after being banded. And of course alcohol adds empty calories. Generally it's best to limit alcohol significantly during the weight loss phase and once you're at maintenance you might need to switch your drink of choice to wine or a hard liquor. Yeah, bummer! The left shoulder pain is because there is a nerve that runs from our belly to the shoulder and when the band gets tight we feel the tightness in our shoulder. I just got a fill and I have a twinge of pain in my shoulder as well. I know that's a signal that my band is working. This is a good time to learn to "read" these signals our bands are sending us. Unfortunately, I get a lot of gas from almost everything I eat since being banded. I am still trying to figure out how to treat it. Gas X hasn't helped much, I am trying Beano next.

That's the problem with being too tight. We eat bad food instead of good food if we're too tight. Thinking that the tighter we are will help us lose quicker is defeating the band. You want solid Protein ( without adding gravy etc) to go down. It will stay in your pouch longer. For me the biggest problem is determining my head hunger from real hunger. Usually the hunger is head hunger. Our brains ( and our eyes) still think we're going to starve on a small portion so it tells our belly to eat. I think the nurse is right and I don;t think we should be so tight that everything gets stuck, that is just not a normal way to eat. Sometimes we are just too lazy to chew the good food and take tiny bites and eat slow so we eat something that goes down easier. There are times that I could eat more also but I notice it's getting easier to resist eating more so that's a sign my band is working. Remember "normal thin" people could eat more too, they just listen better to the messages their bodies send and stop. I am trying hard to train myself ( with the band's help) to do that too. meats, salad, fresh fruit, veggies are good foods for us so what good is it if we can't get them down? Take a portion of good food, eat very slow, chew tiny bites, well. Then stop and really listen to the signals your pouch gives you. Wait one hour and then if you're still hungry drink a bottle of Water first. Still hungry? Eat an apple. It takes me about 15 mins to eat an apple! I had a fill the other day, so I am just starting to retry foods again to see what the new tightness agrees with and in the past I rarely have gotten stuck. Each time I did, it was because I ate too fast or didn't chew well enough. I am learning that the first few bites I take are the most important ones to start slowly with. It's almost like I have to prime the stoma to open up and accept food. I wait between the first few bites or take a couple small bites of the veggie first and gradually it seems the rest of the meal goes down a little easier. I hope some of these suggestions can help you.

Most plastic surgery patients wear compression garments after surgery so I would just ask your surgeon. If it hurts, you'll want to remove it anyway. I was given a gown and a private area to change. Have you ever watched the TV show "Big Medicine"? They show the surgery being performed and patients are draped and just the belly is exposed. I don't think I had a catheter. The surgery only takes about 35 to 45 minutes in most cases. Get some baby wipes and the tongs but chances are you won't be "going" much more than peeing, as most likely you'll be on liquids and BM might be less frequent with a high Protein diet.

Why not just unfill the band and leave it in? If you can eat either way, why pay for removal? Results will be the same. Unless they cannot do GBP without removing the band, but wouldn't the Dr remove the band at same time as GBP surgery?

Welcome! The first step would be to check with your ins co. and find out their requirements and locate a local bariatric surgeon in your area that accepts your ins. Many surgeons have seminars in which the public can attend and ask questions. Good Luck.

Wow very expensive. I was self pay in the Northeast region. $17800 included surgery, one night in hospital and aftercare with fills.

Make sure the first few bites you take are very small, very well chewed and go slow in between the first few bites. I find that if I start off very slow things get better after the first few bites. It's almost like I have to jump start (or warm up)the stoma to accept food. Everytime I got stuck, it was becasue I started off too fast or didn;t chew well enough.

There are threads for different ages on the forum. Look for the "teens" group. Go to Main page and scroll down. You'll find people your age. Good Luck.