kbinaz
LAP-BAND Patients-
Content Count
1,118 -
Joined
-
Last visited
Content Type
Profiles
Forums
Gallery
Blogs
Store
WLS Magazine
Podcasts
Everything posted by kbinaz
-
Don't hate me - but I wish this wasn't SO easy!
kbinaz replied to Tater's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
Your body is still healing so mostly try to follow doctors instructions as far as what you are eating is concerned. (are you allowed to eat everything after 3 weeks or are you still on soft foods?) As far as amount goes, I had the same experience - I could basically eat the same amount as before banding and this is pretty normal. This is because your band is not working yet - once the swelling goes down from surgery it is like you don't even have a band - this is why we go in for fills. You can't get a fill for a week or more so there is really nothing you can do about being able to eat larger quantities. Believe me, once you get the proper restriction you won't be able to eat large quantities. I found that it was easier to do my best in my food choices and not get to caught up with trying to lose big numbers because, like you said, if I could lose weight without restriction I wouldn't have had the surgery! I didn't lose much weight until my 4th fill, which was when I first felt restriction. So don't get discouraged if you can eat pretty large amounts even with a fill. With each fill my portion sizes got smaller and smaller and it was a little frustrating to be losing weight so slowly but I think in the long run it is the healthier, best way to go. -
I'm sorry this is kind of gross...so if you are queasy, stop reading now...Had a second episode of PB'ing last night and it was significantly worse than the first episode that I mentioned in my earlier post. I took a bite of meatloaf, which had been reheated so was a little dry.I immediately knew something was wrong. It hurt like heck. I mean, I was a miserable person for about twenty minutes. I couldn't stand the pain so I was walking around my house and my dog was following me because he could tell something was wrong and I couldn't even talk. I started sliming and was contorting into all these different positions trying to get relief (nothing worked) and then suddenly with no warning I projectile PB'd (sorry so graphic but you asked) and out it flew all over the floor and I felt a little better after that, but still pretty gross and went into the bathroom and about 5 minutes later it happened again. Really painful, (not the actual PB, but the time leading up to it - the PB actually helped the pain) Note to self: Be really careful when eating in a restaurant as this was bad enough at home but would be really awful in public!!! I had a fill on Tuesday and am wondering if I will loosen up a bit...but am enjoying the quicker weight loss from this restriction. I just have to be really careful and it doesn't happen.
-
Your body cannot continue to lose weight at that rate for very long. I lost 12 pounds in the week after surgery then didn't lose another pound for over a month. When did you ever lose 22 pounds that quickly? Enjoy it!!
-
How did you choose your doctor?
kbinaz replied to litlbubbls's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
I chose my doctor because she was a 'Center of Excellence', which means meeting pretty strict requirements - good education both pre and post-op, lots of different things like that. I also liked her when I went to the seminar - I think you get a good 'feel' for someone when you hear them speak. Also, I had been told to go to a doctor who had done a lot of lap bands and she had done like 3000 with very few complications and an above average rate of weight loss among her patients. I tell everyone the most important thing is safety/skill of the doctor but also to make sure your doctor has an extensive education program set up. I see so many people on this site that have no idea what they are supposed to be eating, what they can and can't do after surgery...the lap band is kind of labor intensive in that you really need to do certain things and behave in certain ways to have success (not like Gastric bypass, where the weight will come off no matter what) and if you aren't really well informed beforehand it is very hard to know what you are supposed to be doing. Check that out amongst your choices. Good luck! -
Drinking water/liquids too close to meals
kbinaz replied to ssdown's topic in PRE-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
It's good that you are already practicing before being banded, that really helps you get into the mindset of what you need to do. But you are going to have times where you goof up - that's what practicing is for! The whole lap band thing has a real learning curve to it. None of us succeed at all of it immediately, but we keep practicing and eventually get better at it. With practice you are going to figure it all out. The drinking thing can be tricky - especially at first, I felt like my whole day was spent figuring out when I should drink, when I should stop, when I could eat, when I could drink again- very time consuming! I thought "How am I ever going to be able to get on with my life if all I can do all day is keep track of my water intake and the minutes on the clock???!!!" But like anything else, it becomes old hat after repeating and repeating. You'll do fine, you'll mess up, then you'll do fine again. And luckily if you mess up, nobody dies!!! -
Hi, I am new here - was banded October 26,2007. My biggest frustration is that everyone in the world is used to seeing people who have had gastric bypass surgery lose like 30 pounds in the month after surgery. With L.B. surgery it takes a while to lose and I feel like people are looking me up and down wondering why I still look the same after over two months. Does anyone else have this problem? This is why I kind of wish I hadn't told anyone I had the surgery!
-
When your band is place around your stomach it is empty. There is a little balloon-like thing inside the band that can be inflated. Attached to the band is a tube that leads to a port (attached to your stomach muscle or thereabouts depending on your doctor) The doctor injects fluid into your port (it's under your skin)(you probably know that, but it kinda sounds like your doctor didn't give you much information so forgive me if I am being too simplistic) which causes that balloon like thing to expand, making the band tighten around your stomach. The idea of fills is to put small amounts of fluid into the band at regular intervals (once a month, for instance). With each fill the patient notices a bit more restriction. (I didn't feel any until my 4th fill) Eventually the patient reaches their 'sweet spot' - which means they are at the optimal restriction which allows them to eat three small meals a day of regular food (not liquid or mush) and feel satisfied and not hungry until it is time to eat again. Without fills you are not getting the benefit of the band and are depending on willpower alone.
-
I have a 10cc band and just had my 5th fill on Tuesday which brought me up to 7.5 ccs and finally I have restriction. I didn't lose any weight from my first week after surgery until about my 3rd fill. It can be discouraging, but I have lost 3.5 pounds since Tuesday because I finally have restriction and finally know what everyone is talking about! Be patient!(I know it's hard!)
-
I'm a self-pay patient so the process went pretty quickly for me. I decided in August that the lapband was what I needed,went to my surgeons seminar in late August, had my evaluations done in early September, when those were 'passed' I got my surgery date of November 19th, then in mid October they called and asked if they could push my date forward because someone else had to cancel and I was all approved so they changed my surgery to October 26th. So in two months the process was complete!
-
Help....The scale will not move!
kbinaz replied to Banded08's topic in POST-Operation Weight Loss Surgery Q&A
250 calories is not enough food! You need to figure out a way to get more calories in, and not worry about the scale. You just had major surgery and your job is to heal. Your body is not going to be able to heal properly with the amount of calories you are ingesting. That is why it is recommended to try to get in 60g of protein - protein is what the body uses to heal. I lost 12 pounds in the week after surgery and then didn't lose anything for two months. I really just started losing this week (4 months out from surgery) with my 5th fill. If you don't feel like you can eat any more than 250 calories yet, you need to find out what is going on. If you are choosing to eat only 250 calories to lose weight, you need to stop it! I'm not trying to preach at you, but really that is the wrong approach if you are doing it on purpose and you need to get past that calorie thing. The goal is to be healthy! -
My port isn't noticeable at all. I don't even really think about it. Right after surgery it seemed more prominent and had a lot of swelling around it and felt huge. Now the swelling has gone down and I have to work pretty hard to feel it. The port area is the most painful area after surgery - the port is sewn to your stomach muscle and you feel it for quite a while (nothing unbearable, you just have a kind of constant reminder of it's presence but it isn't due to its size, it is more due to the fact that it is sewn to your muscle and kind of hurts) I was kind of weirded out before surgery, not knowing how it was going to be with that foreign body inside me but honestly it is not something I even remember half the time.
-
Hi, I had surgery 10/26/07 and lost 12 pounds the first week. I didn't lose another pound for over a month. There is very little rhyme or reason, especially in the early weeks, for why and when a person loses weight. The thing to keep in mind is this - the post-op recovery time is the time for healing. It is making sure your new band is where it needs to be and stays there. People naturally want to start losing weight as soon as the band is put in and it doesn't always work that way. I know it doesn't make sense to be on liquids and mushies and not lose anything but you just had major surgery and your body is healing and doing weird stuff because it doesn't know what is going on (of course I know a body doesn't know anything anyway, but you know what I mean...) Chances are (and I hate to tell you this) you might gain even more between now and your first fill. When the band is put in it is not doing it's job yet. You have some restriction from swelling from surgery, but that will eventually subside (before your first fill). That's just part of the process and that return of hunger will be how you know you are ready for that first fill.It may take several fills to get you back to that feeling of restriction that you had after surgery. I know it is frustrating, but try to just hang in there and not stress out too much about the scale. Sooner than you can imagine you will start losing with the bands help and all this preliminary garbage will be totally worth it! (and know that I totally stressed out about the scale!)(I'm just trying to save you from expending all that energy for no reason!)
-
who supports right to choose
kbinaz replied to 396power's topic in General Weight Loss Surgery Discussions
The Nazi's were as evil as they were because they killed people who were inconvenient to them.As far as I'm concerned, that is what abortion is. -
One can only hope.
-
Oct 07 Bandsters - how are you doing?
kbinaz replied to yankeerobin's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
Hi, haven't been here for a while but finally have some good news...I had my 5th fill on Tuesday, have a total of 7.5 ccs in my 10cc band and finally, FINALLY, have restriction!! Since Tuesday I have lost 3.5 pounds and I am absolutely so thrilled after losing so slowly up until now! Keep getting those fills, October people!!! -
What is the "pressure" I feel in my chest since my 1st fill?
kbinaz replied to citygirl4616's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
Crunchy chip-like things are the worst for me. Especially this soon after a fill...be careful! The pain you are feeling is restriction and your chip isn't going down! -
What is your Fill Level in a 10 cc AP Band?
kbinaz replied to Motocrossgirly's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
I have had 5 fills for a total of 7.5 ccs in my 10cc AP (small) band. Am currently very well restricted and thinking I am at my sweet spot. My doctor is conservative, too, (not necessarily a bad thing now that I am past it!) The fills were 1.5ccs, 1.5ccs.,1.5ccs, 2ccs, then 1cc. Since fill #5 on Tuesday I have lost 3.5 pounds. -
My first fill coming in 3 days...words of wisdom/advice?
kbinaz replied to deneicy's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
I never had that 'gas after surgery' feeling again once it went away the first time, I believe that was from the gas they pump into you to inflate your stomach so they can see inside you. A fill doesn't feel like that. I barely feel anything with a fill. I have to do liquids for three days afterwards and then can eat anything. With my first fill I had virtually no restriction. Didn't really get any until my 4th fill, and am pretty sure I am at my sweet spot after fill #5. So don't be discouraged if fill #1 doesn't work magic for you. The fill itself is very quick, no more painful than any injection,(well, some people have ports that are hard to find so there is more feeling around and sometimes more than one poke)and you can't feel much til you start eating. -
I just had my 5th fill and it wasn't until this one that I felt restriction. Be patient, and keep on getting fills (keep scheduling them as often as they will allow you to) until you feel the right restriction. It's a process and it can take a while.
-
The answer that usually shuts them up is to say "If I could really do this by myself would I really go through major surgery?" Another one that they seem to understand is "I am tired of working so hard to not gain it back, I need to know when it is lost it is lost for good and this surgery will help me to not constantly worry that I won't be able to keep it off". If they are a really skinny person who has never had weight issues, they will probably never really understand it. So keep in touch with other 'fattie's" who know what you are going through!!!
-
I was told it is a physiological thing - you are tighter in the AM because you have gone all night without drinking anything and your body is cranking away (probably still digesting that dinner that sat at the top of your pouch for who knows how long) and so it's kind of like a dehydration thing, only not necessarily your fault for not drinking enough it's normal for your body to do that. I do notice, though, that if I really concentrate on drinking a lot between dinner and bedtime I am not quite as tight in the AM. Today I couldn't even get yogurt down (it was gurgling, too!) And I was on my way to the gym to work out with my trainer so felt like I should have something in my stomach.
-
I'm not sure what kind of band I have
kbinaz replied to Shinyhappymommy's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
Honestly, it doesn't really matter that much from a weight loss perspective. Any of the ones being currently used are good bands. The Realize band has a lot of good support from the company but if your doctor has a good education program you can get the support there, too. I asked my doctor and he told me what I have. I filed it under useless trivia. Remember, too, that there will always be newer, better bands being developed (like the one that is filled with remote control, no needle sticks) and it is like buying a computer "Oh, I want the new,better one!!!" But we can all lose weight with what we have!!! Ask your doctor, he'd probably be more than happy to tell you. -
Recommended Reading - Any Good Books?
kbinaz replied to HarleyGirl's topic in LAP-BAND Surgery Forums
I liked "Love to Eat, Hate to Eat" (It's Christian, so if you are offended by that kind of thing sorry!) -
Yeah, glad to hear some good news for self payers!
-
I have only PB'd once (today, in fact, lucky me). It happens when you continue to eat after you have had enough (oh, I think I can handle one more bite..... WRONG!!!!) and/or when food gets stuck. It is very painful - at least mine was. The actual PB part isn't that bad - the food just kind of comes up in a little burp. It's the pain from the food sitting there with nowhere to go that really is bad. I mean REALLY bad. I would avoid this at all costs. I seem to have trouble with really dry, crispy foods (chex mix, graham crackers, (which I don't really need anyway) By following the lap band eating guidelines you can avoid them - small bites, chew like crazy, take time between bites, and don't eat after you have had enough. This takes some practice, which is why most of us PB at times!