kbinaz

Hi, I agree with Georgia Girl (above) The surgery was not as bad as I had expected. The part leading up to it - the anticipation and worrying were way worse than the actual surgery~ Follow all the doctor's instructions and everything will be great!

I think the gurgling is a sign that you are tight enough, not too tight. I kind of like it because it proves to me that the food is sitting there before going straight through the band! I waited a long time for restriction and am so happy to finally have it!

My best advice is, when choosing a doctor, make sure he is the kind who educates his patients and tells them exactly what they are supposed to do to get maximum benefit from the LB. You see people on this forum all the time who don't know what they are supposed to be eating at different phases and don't understand the mechanics of the band and I feel really sorry for them. The band has quite a learning curve. You can't just get it put in, sit back, and wait for it to work. Look for a doctor whose practice is a 'center of excellence' which is awarded to bariatric practices which follow strict guidelines to do a really good job.

Sounds like things are going really well. Just don't freak out when, before your first fill, you start being able to eat normal, pre-surgery amounts of food. That is really scary for someone who just went through major weight loss surgery and thought they'd be limited to small portions. It is just a sign that your body is healing and you are ready for your first fill.And don't hesitate to get that fill, and as many as you need to get good restriction, that is what it is all about!!!

Liz1531 You have only had two fills, your last one was in November. That is probably your problem. Your band doesn't hate you, you just probably don't have it working to it's maximum benefit. I had surgery 10/26/07 and have had five fills. I have a 10cc band and am up to 7.5 ccs. It wasn't until this last,5th, fill that I felt the restriction I need to lose good amounts of weight. (I haven't updated my ticker but I am at 20.5-and I have lost 2.5 pounds in three days)Don't give up on the band until you are working it to its best use. Once you get filled to the right restriction, make sure you are following the 'lap band rules' (If you don't know what those are, I'd be happy to write back and fill you in) and I am quite sure you will start losing and be really happy. I see you had your surgery in Mexico, and I'm not sure where you live, so maybe it is a cost thing in getting fills. If that is the case, try to make the effort to get the money together to get filled adequately because I promise you that is what will probably make the difference for you. Hope this helps!

I don't want to discourage you, but I'm sure the bulimia would be an issue. I can't give you a definitive answer, you'd have to check with your doctor, but be honest when you talk to him/her because this could be a huge problem. Throwing up with the band is one of the most dangerous things and can cause slippage, which renders the band inoperable and you have to have surgery to fix it. Not a fun thing to go through the surgery twice. You need to get a handle on the bulimia thing before you have surgery or it just isn't going to work. Good luck, and maybe this will be the incentive you need to get things together~ I wish you well!

There are two different measurements - band circumference (how long your band is) which doesn't really make much differenc because it is cinched tight - they might use a bigger (longer) band if you have a really thick stomach or something. The point is it has to fit around your stomach and everyone has a different thickness of stomach.I have the AP small band, because it could fit around my stomach. If it hadn't, the doctor would have used the large one and I wouldn't have known the difference. The other size is the inside- how much liquid it can hold. Some are 4ccs, some 10, some 14...again, statistics show it really doesn't make much difference because the point is to fill the inner part of the band (I'm sure there is a technical name for it but it escapes me) so the patient gets the right restriction which varies from person to person. So, ten people with a 4cc band might all need different fill amounts to get good restriction and the same with a 10cc band etc. No matter what band you have, you need enough fills to get you to your sweet spot so you can't compare with people who have different size bands OR with people with the same size band as you! I hope this post makes sense! I tried!

I think stretching your pouch does not really happen very often, if at all. When you don't have restriction, the pouch isn't going to stretch because basically the food is going straight through. When you do have restriction, you get very clear physical signs to stop eating when the pouch is full enough. You would have to be a very brave person to continue past that pain and keep eating, trust me! Anyone who ever accidentally took too big a bite and had that heart attack feeling knows what I mean. The very last thing I would ever do would be take another bite. And my doctor actually never even mentioned the possibility of the pouch stretching and I wonder if some doctors use it as a scare tactic so patients don't overeat. I could be wrong about that but I have never seen any statistics on pouch stretching.

First of all, and I would let Karl (your 'friend')I don't know if Karl is a banded person or not, but it is a really, really wrong thing to critique another persons progress (or lack thereof) That is the biggest issue with bandsters - that nobody seems to understand that the band gives SLOW GRADUAL weight loss - it is designed that way. Everyone is used to gastric bypass, and when they don't see band patients losing like GB patients their first thought is that the band isn't working. He doesn't say whether the failures he is reporting are people who were banded a year ago or six months ago. I suppose to many outsiders (ignorant people who don't understand how the band works) I look like a failure. I had surgery 10/26/07 and still don't look visibly different. I have only lost 18 pounds. That is because my doctor is very conservative with fills and I never felt any restriction whatsoever until my 4th fill, which was three months after surgery. To me, losing 18 pounds in four months is nothing short of a miracle. I have never been able to lose that much weight in that time before. I am absolutely thrilled over every single one of those pounds! And all it takes to totally burst my happiness bubble is a buzzkill like Karl making an insensitive comment like he made. Karl needs to worry about Karl, not about how other people are doing. Don't let comments like he made sway you in your decision to have this surgery. If you follow all the instructions your doctor gives you and are committed to working this thing, you will succeed. You can be assured (once you reach proper restriction) of losing 5-10 pounds a month if you faithfully do what you are supposed to do. The band works in such a way that it is easier to do what you need to do. As you read the posts on this sight you can always find people who are losing twice as much weight as you and people who are losing half as much as you. Some of the non-losers are not losing because they aren't following the program. Some of them are just not where they need to be yet. But all of them are human beings who have had a lot of crap thrown at them already in their lives because of being overweight and this sight should be a place where they get encouragement and support. Please don't be discouraged or fearful about the band working, just have realistic expectations. And maybe find a new friend! (sorry Karl!)

Make sure you are at proper restriction. It is way easier to eat the right way when you have that. I think Weight Watchers is an excellent idea, too.

1. Don't tell me what to eat or when to stop. I am practicing listening to my body, and my restriction can vary from day to day so let me be in charge and don't say "I think you should stop now!" 2. Read the instructions from my doctor (or better yet be with me when the doctor tells me) and help me follow those instructions. 3. Be patient when I am on clear liquids after a fill and am crabby. Don't tell me I'm crabby. (I already know and it just makes me more crabby) 4. Assure me that you love me no matter what. (my husband told me "Even if you never lose a pound from this band, I will love you just as much as ever" and I can't tell you how much that meant to me. We had to self-pay, so he has a huge financial investment in this and I feel a lot of pressure to 'come through' with huge successes.) 5. Don't constantly ask "How much have you lost?"

Yes, fills are what it is all about! That is how the band works. Without fills your band isn't doing what it is supposed to do (unless you are one of those people who have restriction without it, and I'm NOT) My doctor lets us get fills every 10 days. He is conservative with amounts because he would rather have us come in more often if needed and not be overfilled, trust me that is a much wiser way to go about it. My fills are free for the first year so he doesn't make any extra money whether I have 2 fills or 10. Your doctor is doing what is best, ramping you up slowly. That can be frustrating, but I really believe it is better physically and emotionally. Once you are at the right restriction you should be able to lose about 10 pounds a month, but it might take several fills to get to the right restriction. Don't be too discouraged if you can't lose 30 pounds by May. In ten years you are not going to remember if it took you 10 months or 10 weeks to lose this weight. I know just how you are feeling, and felt exactly the same way after my surgery, and my weight is just starting to come off now and it's okay...because I know it is going to come off!

Isn't that the best feeling? I'm happy for you!

You probably don't have the restriction you need and should go in for a fill. It took 4 fills for me to have much restriction at all and I just had my 5th fill today and hope to be at my sweet spot. It would be wise to start getting control of your eating choices, though. Once you do reach restriction you are going to need to make healthy choices because your volume is so limited and also for maximum weight loss. But the good news is that once you do reach the right restriction all of this will be easier. You won't be this hungry, I promise!

I had no pre-op diet and everything went fine. A lot depends on your BMI. Call your doctor to clarify, though.

Welcome Amanda! First of all, congratulations on being one of the only 25 year olds in America who isn't already in debt!! That is rare! Good luck as you begin this lapband journey. These boards are helpful - you can learn a lot here. Do your homework, especially when choosing a doctor. Don't automatically go to the cheapest place, count the costs beforehand (sometimes the cheapest upfront cost isn't as cheap in the long run) Good luck!

My doctor never said anything one way or the other about eating before fills. Since I have to go on clear liquids for 3 days after a fill I do not want to go in there already hungry so I usually eat. I have done fine.

I have had four fills for a total of 6.5 ccs. I am close to having the restriction I need, I think. Didn't really feel ANY restriction until my 4th fill. Have my 5th fill tomorrow and hope this is it!

I definitely count my starting weight, my highest because by golly if I lost it I'm counting it. The doctor, however, uses my day of surgery weight. This is because they are keeping track of weight loss with the lapband and if people are counting what they lost on their pre-op diet it isn't really telling them what happened with the band. It annoys me that they use a different number but I understand why they do it that way - it is for scientific purposes - for research reasons.

And I was referring to PMS. Once my TOM hits I am tighter too. It kind of makes up for the PMS phase!

Oh YES, I have big trouble with that. My doctor told me to go with it to a point - he said if you are really hungry, eat. I find if I eat a 'legal' snack when hunger hits I am less likely to really go bonkers and find some chocolate or ice cream. In other words try to keep from getting really hungry. But it is sooo hard. Also, you might notice your band is looser. Something about your body adjusting to increased caloric needs. Our bodies really are amazing!

I get really frustrated when I read on this site that people aren't given specific instructions on what to eat post-op! I feel so bad for those of you who are flying blind. I got so much information that I went in for surgery knowing exactly what I could eat on which day. It is really hard to tell other people what to eat because doctors vary so much in what their post op rules are. But if a doctor didn't give you instructions, I suppose you can follow the ones my doctor gave me! I had to be on clear liquids from day 1 (surgery day is day 1) til day 4. This is very important because you must allow the band to heal - it was just sewn onto your stomach muscle and needs to stay there. On day 4 I was allowed to eat soft proteins. This meant chicken, turkey, fish, cottage cheese, refried beans, low fat/low sugar yogurt, and eggs. I stayed on soft proteins until my first fill. My doctor does not approve of protein shakes, some doctors insist on them. I was able to get plenty of proteins in because all I was eating was protein. Once I had my first fill and did clear liquids in case of swelling I could eat everything. I was taught 3 bites of protein, 1 bite of vegetable, then fruit at the end if I still had room. I would also call your doctor and ask for more specific instructions.

The foods you listed are common problem foods with banded people. Some bandsters have no trouble with them, some do. It has to do with level of restriction and just personal experience, so you can't really say those foods are totally off limits. The reason they are a problem for some people is that they are all foods that don't really 'disintegrate' or break down when chewed a lot. Steak tends to form a big blob (sorry to be so descriptive) and never really breaks down before being swallowed. Same with white bread. To be able to swallow food with the band you have to get it to the consistency of applesauce (approximately, again, this varies from bandster to bandster) Technically, from a band standpoint, there are no foods that are off limits. It is strictly a question of what YOU can eat with the band. I have no trouble with nuts, but have big problems with beef. Everyone is different.

It's hard to advise people on what to eat because every doctor has a different post-op diet. Hopefully your doctor gave you specific guidelines. If you can tell us what diet/phase you are on, we can give you ideas, and like Jack said there are lots of ideas in this forum.

I think it was the first kind of band they had and it was not adjustable and it is no longer used.