Penney Doss

i am in texarkana and was banded 1/9/08

I guess I can start out by saying I feel as though I am a failure. I was banded back in January of 08 and as of today I am sad to say I am only 12 pounds down from over a year of the band. I can not exercise anymore. I am going to be losing a toe due to diabetis. I am still over weight and I feel like I can no longer do this. I want to move around and be active but health wise I am unable to do so. Does anyone have any suggestions? or just want to chat? I could use some motivation about now. I love all you fellow banders. I wish all of you the very best.

I was banded by Dr. heiker as well. But my weight loss has been next to none in a year. also I have had a lot of problems with the band port. Have you been really successful after your band?

Hey Ya'll the little port thing didn't go as planned. The whole point was to flip it back over but as we got in there they realized that it didn't want to go back to the way it was so we turned it side ways and it slid kinda into a rib socket (very comfortably) I might add. can't even tell its there now. I am bruised up pretty bad but I was awake during the procedure. They gave me lots of ladocaine....Felt good. The this new doctor gave me a huge fill and as of today my eating habits have changed dramatically. I am just now able to swallow liquids and its a cup of sugar free hot chocolate. I tried to eat mushy and I had several dates with Mr. Toilet man this afternoon and through out the day. Even ice ceam came back to haunt me...Thats a messed up feeling. Cold but messed up.....So seeing as I finally got a fill that is doing as it is supposed to do I should start dropping the weight. I am starting the excercise thing dramatically in the morning. I am going to meet goal weight by December....I am back ya'll and I am bad now....No more mean doctors and no more port flippin.....:sneaky: As far as knowing when the port flipped....Oh Yes!!! I knew it, but I prayed that I had just felt a pull and not a flip..The pain is a grabbing pain and you can not stand straight up until you fiddle around with the port and move it back into a certain place. The one thing that I know that was the wrong thing to do was try to flip it back on my own. By doing that I made it flip back the wrong way and caused my own problem on top of the fact that I had already torn the stictches out. I suggest one thing to all. When they say don't lift more than a certain weight TRUST THEM!!!!!!! Now I have a side ways ports even though it is not bothering me being turned and set up in a rib I am still going to be a hard person to fill in the future. She has to stick the needle in from bottom up to get the port hole. But hey thats me I have to be difficult or I am not happy I guess. ~ But anyways Thank you all for your well wishes I will be on here alot more now.....Much love and Good luck to all.....

I lost 36 pounds and stopped. Went for my first fill and all was horrible felt no differnce and the doctor was a jerk. I also found out 3 days ago that my port is flipped completely turned around back facing forward. So I go in the morning to have that fixed and they are going to give me a fill. I was banded January 9, 2008 and I have been so discouraged and my doctor was so mean to me the last time that he made me cry. So I switched doctors and now she is going to take care of me. I have faith in her and she said tomorrows port fix will be simple. I pray it is cause the pain I went through already was enough to last for the rest of this year. Good Luck to all on the band wagon and hope all is doing well. Glad to meet you all.

This is my blog and help center. I will be helping anyone who has any questions about the lapband as I will post daily. I am beginning my post now as I will be banded in 5 days. I can tell anyone who has not yet started the 2 week liquid diet that it is harder to me than quitting smoking was....I feel like I am starving although I am drinking plenty. But knowing I can't have food is what is making me so darn hungry. I began this journey 3 months ago. Here I will show you what I have lost since my first weigh in with the surgeon.. I have lost 17 pounds beginning weight was 285....:clap2:

Sorry it has taken way too long to continue on my post. But I have been so down and out since my first fill. But I can say the weight loss has stopped and we have figured out one of my problems. On March 20, 2008 I went to see my Doctor. Who tried 6 times to fill my band....Needless to say there was a big problem. She kept hitting metal and soon realized that my port had completely flipped all the way around and was facing completely backwards. So I have an appointment in the morning to flip it back and reset it and fill the bad boy. I actually suspected this anyway because of the pain that I had been feeling. But I was hoping my suspicions were wrong and they weren't. But she said it would be a simple procedure and I would be able to pick myself right back up and start over again and this time maybe I would get some where with the band. my lowest weight has been 247 pounds. But as of today I am 259. Once I get this fill and get the port back in the right place I will pick up and dust off and continue on the band wagon.....Hope all is doing well I will try now to keep the blog going now that I have faced my demons and am feeling better about life again. I am sorry if I let any of you down and I pray you all are doing well...Much Love Banders

Sorry it has taken way too long to continue on my post. But I have been so down and out since my first fill. But I can say the weight loss has stopped and we have figured out one of my problems. On March 20, 2008 I went to see my Doctor. Who tried 6 times to fill my band....Needless to say there was a big problem. She kept hitting metal and soon realized that my port had completely flipped all the way around and was facing completely backwards. So I have an appointment in the morning to flip it back and reset it and fill the bad boy. I actually suspected this anyway because of the pain that I had been feeling. But I was hoping my suspicions were wrong and they weren't. But she said it would be a simple procedure and I would be able to pick myself right back up and start over again and this time maybe I would get some where with the band. my lowest weight has been 247 pounds. But as of today I am 259. Once I get this fill and get the port back in the right place I will pick up and dust off and continue on the band wagon.....Hope all is doing well I will try now to keep the blog going now that I have faced my demons and am feeling better about life again. I am sorry if I let any of you down and I pray you all are doing well...Much Love Banders

i am doing okay I guess I got my first fill yesterday and the doctor was so mean to me. He had me in tears when I left his office. I asked him how much he put in the band and he turned around and raised his voice and said" hat size shoe do yu wear?" I loed at him like uh 8 1/2 or 9. Then he said ' just because you wear an 81/2 does that mean I should go buy that size cause its the size you wear is that what your telling me? I looked at him and said I just wanted to know how much you put in He refused to tell me and said 'Just know I put saline in your band. I left in tears. I just wanted to know so I could post it on here and he would not tell me. Then he jumped down my throat cause I didn't lose enough weight to satisfy him. I got home and I was able to eat dinner, then this morning I could not eat anything. Then at lunch time I went to the potatoe patch to eat a baked potatoe and ate three bites and could not hold anymore than that. supper tonight I made chicken spagetti and ate 5 small bites and that was it. I acually ate 3 little peices of the cicken and 2 small bites of noodles. then for desert i had a small peice of sugar free pie ate a little bite and was done. so basically I can't hardly eat and I have no clue what amount was put in the band. it hurt like hell not just physically but emotionally. But other than that I am hoping I drop 30 more pounds in six weeks so he won't be so mean to me next time. even if it means starving myself. I will do it. a person should not be treated that way by no human being and He has always been super nice until I didn't lose enough to satisfy him and that and the fact that I asked him how much he put in. Its not like I was gonna say more more more please like an addict to saline or something. I don't know I guess we will see next time. How is everyone else doing?

Hello. Well today was an okay day. The pain has subsided and I am able to do almost everything I could before surgery. I am a district manager at a local papaer and I am still unable to run a down route.. I tried that on Sunday and became very ill. All the boucing and moving around was a bit more than I could handle. So other than that I am able to do pretty much anything and everything. eating is a lil too easy for me now. I was worried at first cause i couldn't now I am worried because I can. I am able to eat anything that is placed before me. I go in for that fill in 2 weeks and trust me I can not wait for that. I am at a stand still for sure on my weight loss. I actually woke up this morning 4 pounds heavier and I am sad that this has happened. But then I have to look at the fact that I do not have a fill and it is just the band there and I mean think about it when a femal that becomes pregnant with the band they just take all the saline out and she is able to take in all the nutrients she needs to help the baby become healthy. so if you think about it if I do not have a fill I am not exactly getting what the band is able to do. So I am not going to get too upset because the weight I have gained will come off and when I get my first fill there will be no problem with me losing because I will have a cut off that will help me from over eating. But too all of you out there do not get discouraged, as i will try not to myself. Its part of it I guess. Hope all is doing well....Penney

Hey Ya'll Penney here! Checking in. Well, It has been nearly two weeks since I was banded. Today was a pretty good day. But I am noticing that I am able to eat way too much stuff. I have lost good up until a few days ago and now I am at a stand still. I actually gained 2 pounds like 3 days ago but I lost it back. But I am staying hungry now. I do not get my fill untill the 22 of February. That may be a problem. Its like I don't even have a band around my stomach at all. I don't like that part of this thing. Has anyone else had this problem? I feel hungry and I eat but its like less than 30 minutes later I am hungry again so I drink a shake then I am hungry again right after that. I need help. I am only eating like a total of one meal a day. But I am not losing and I am so hungry. I eat about 2 cups of food at lunch when it should be like a 1/4 cup. Whats wrong with me? What can I do to stop this until I get the fill? Any suggestions? Oh and to the new friends here. Good Luck and welcome....

Hello All.. Sorry about the post being a little late. I am recovering well. The surgery was a great success. I had alot of pain the second thrugh 6 days but right after surgery was a breeze. I have not had nausea and no vomiting. I am 31.7 pounds down now since the beginning of the liquid diet. It took a little while for me to be able to get out of bed on my own. The port site is still a little sore now. I have returned to work and I am on restrictions but I am getting use to everything. It really is a new way of life. Trying to get all your protiens in is harder than you think because you are rarely hungry. I can go all day without wanting food, but I make myself drink my shakes and Soups. I have been eating a small piece of charbroiled chicken everyday but only half at a time. It goes down well and I have been enjoying the fact that I can eat so little anf fill so full. I love the band. Hope this catches you all up...Good luck to future banders and hey ya'll to my band buddies I will keep you posted better I promise...

Well today marks the 3rd day since surgery. So far I have accomplished nothing. I have walked and I have been in some pain and I am not sure when it will go away but I am still sticking to it. I will not be brought down by pain.. The good part is that I did not and still do not suffer from nausea. Thank God! The good lord has helped me make it through and I am so thankful the surgery was a success. I stayed over night in the hospital and recieved only two shots for pain, which my pain did not even start untill today. Now it hurts really bad around the port site. I guess that is normal. But anyway I am going to go but I will be back and type more later./. JTAg104 How did your surgery go my band sista?