anniedub

Hi, probably best to try on another thread -- maybe in the general threads, or regional ones? This is a thread specifically for people banded in March 2008, so unless you're lucky enough to have someone in here with the same doctor, you're out of luck! I would probably start your own thread in the "General" or "Pre-Op" section with the doc's name. More likely to be noticed :thumbup: Annie

Ha ha ha I hear you! I'm in the middle of a drought - it's killing me! :thumbup:

Ha ha ha I have had no gas pains, even been drinking carbonated drinks since 10 days post-op. No worries! So it's all good. I was eating baked beans on mushies as well, so i knew i haven't had problems. 1 day post-fill, i'm more restricted than i was, but I can still eat more than half a cup. I'll see how I am this time next week, but i might be back then for another fill. I am super-keen to get to the sweet spot! I was starting on the slippery slope, and i'm still on it, but i've joined weight watchers to try and get my ass into gear. No more cheating! It will help after i go to the nazi dietician tomorrow, as i'm hoping she'll give me some amounts -- ie recommended calories / Protein grams / carbo grams each day. That will really help, at the moment i'm just guessing, and going under the weight watchers points. And, as all ladies will relate, this is also that special week in the month when i'm bloated like a sponge and wanting to eat everything in sight! Bad combination! :thumbup: Annie.

Hey Watcher, I'm kinda the same way - it sounds bad, but I've never been attracted to overweight/obese men. Even though I am obese myself! Granted, I'm working on it, and i've always had luck in relationships that all my former partners have been gorgeous! I've been in a relationship with one man who was overweight, but we were just so attracted to each other based on other elements that weight/appearance didn't even come into it. So i guess it is possible! Now, i've been single for 18 months, and I'm just worrying whether I will ever have anyone again - let alone how they look! :puke: Annie

I don't know if this has been covered already, or if anyone will relate... But is anyone else nervous about starting a new relationship, and telling them you have a band? What if they're disgusted? Some people can be so judgemental, which is why I haven't told anyone other than my immediate family. It's times like these I wish I just had a husband already! Annie

Hi Shamrocks! Just a quick update -- I was banded on the 6th of March, and had my first fill today (first of April), and feeling great! 2cc's in a 4cc capacity band. Was on fluids for Breakfast and lunch then had baked Beans for dinner, all went well! Excellent satiety after half a cup. For those in bandster hell, keep going! There is light at the end of the tunnel! Annie xox PS. Fenton congratulations on the book!

Hi everyone, Thankyou so much for the support on this thread - the response has been overwhelming. I've gotten over this little "hump", and i've had my first fill today - 2cc's in a 4cc band. My fill doctor said that she would be "extra generous", giving me twice what most people get. And i'm feeling great! Mind you, it's only been 12 hours :puke: I have great restriction at the moment and I couldn't eat more than half a cup of baked beans for dinner. Breakfast and lunch were fluids only. I'll give it a few days, but my fill doctor said I can come back as early as this time next week if the satiety effects wear off! Hooray - feeling energized, very positive, and great! Once again, thankyou all for your support Annie xox

Hi there fellow shrinking shamrocks, I was banded 6th of march, I'm 3 weeks post-op. At the start everything was going well - I healed quickly, I was feelings great, no post-surgery pain, no hunger. Now I'm getting hungry and I have no restriction at all (until next week), and i'm starting to fall back into old habits. Like, "Oh, well, fries are a soft food... I can just have some fries.... if my quantities are small it will all be fine..." I'm doing this to myself and I can't stop it! Afterwards I say "no, next time i have to be strong and not give in to the temptation to eat shit food", but then I get caught up in the moment, caught up in the craving and BOOM! I've done it again before I even realize it! The worst part is, I'm too ashamed to admit it to my dietician. You should have seen how nuts she went when I went to mushies after only one and a half weeks (instead of the recommended two). She told me that I was "jeopardizing my health and jeopardizing the band". It was half a cup of mashed potato, come on!! So I call her the Nazi. And now i'm too scared to tell her I need help in case she goes off again. So shrinking shamrocks, i'm appealing to you. Please help me snap out of it! Annie xox

Woohoo! Thanks for the empowering slap to the virtual face, Fenton! On another note, since i had my mid-afternoon freak out 12 hours ago, I've rejoined weight watchers. So now, for some reason, i have the security blanket of the points system to get me through the next week until my first fill. Feeling better already!

Wow, I could never weigh myself every day, I would be way too anxious! Once a week is the way to go. That way, instead of seeing it come off at what seems like a slow crawl (even though it's definitely not!), instead of going "oh only half a pound today", you go "YES! SIX POUNDS THIS WEEK!". Just more of a boost i think. Plus your body fluctuates so much through the day, with extra food in stomach, Water retention etc so you would need to do it precisely the same time evey day, having consumed exactly the same amount of Fluid and food blah blah blah for it to be anywhere near accurate. Too hard basket! Once a week is the way to go! Incidentally, I have joined weight watchers (again.... but this time i have my secret weapon), and so i'm only ever going to weigh in once a week at my meeting. Sweet! :ohmy:

3 weeks post-op, and i've lost an automobile tyre. Eventually i'll lose the world's largest ball of tape, and a human brain. But hopefully I won't lose my own brain on the way!

Thankyou both for your help and support. Just feeling a bit vulnerable right now, and getting into a negative mentality ("I'm a failure, I can't do it"). Snap out of it Annie!

Hi girls, Well, I'm hoping to lost some boob! I'm a size 16F (I think it's about 42F in US sizes), and I'm really hoping to go back down to 12D or 12DD. I'm F'ing sick of my F'ing huge boobs! Every shirt I buy makes me look like a stripper! If I don't lose too much boob, even after I'm at goal, I'm thinking about a reduction. BUT i've seen reduction scars, and they can be horrific! So i'm just going to wait and see....

Hi all, Just a quick query -- does anyone follow a specific dietary program (like Weight Watchers) as well as having their band? A lot of people have been having some really in-depth conversations on here about exact quantities of Protein you should be eating (in grams), as well as precise levels of carbohydrate and so on. In my past dieting escapades (which, let's face it, have been ultimately unsuccessful) I have generally found that sticking with an easier to work out system like Weight Watchers Points was a lot simpler in working out how much i should be having of each food group, rather than x grams of protein, x grams of carb etc. Is there anyone who uses weight watchers points to calculate what they should be eating? Or, otherwise, are there any websites which can help you calculate and track your intake of certain food groups? My dietician has been less than helpful in this area, so I'm thinking of going back to a weight watchers based system. Cheers, Annie.

Phew! Is anyone else becoming addicted to LapBandTalk? I think it's time for an intervention! I'll try to restrict my surfing to once a day. On topic, does anyone use thedailyplate.com or a similar site? Any good?

Wow. I just printed that and stuck it on my wall. We all have our bad days, our bad hours and our bad minutes, but Fenton, your cheerleading could pull us all back from the void. Long Live the Shrinking Shamrocks!

Hi there, Sounds like you're having more pain than most people. I know that this is not very comforting right now, but think of it as two weeks of pain which are kick starting a new, healthier phase of your life. As for the incisions, this is totally normal. The 2 and a half inch incision which is the most painful is the one where your port is, and the pain is most likely due to the fact that the port was sewn onto your abdominal wall, and it is still tender. Make sure you're not making any sharp or violent movements, and this goes for intense exercise, as it is possible to dislodge the port and have it flip around if you're not careful. They should have sent some pain meds home with you from the hospital, so just keep them up regularly and have faith that this too will pass. Your surgeon should have explained to you that one of your incisions would be bigger than the others, as they need more "wiggle room" to place the port properly. If you're worried about the appearance of your scars, look at the "Scar Stages" thread under general lap-band comments on this site. Lots of people have posted photos of their incisions, and you can see in th ones from 9 months, 12 months, 2 years post op that even the largest scars become very faded and difficult to spot. Don't stress! Yes, your scars will be visible for a while. But, i dunno about you, i've never been much of a bikini person at +220 pounds :cursing: They will fade. Vitamin E oil, or other skin products such as Bio-oil can help when applied twice a day. I know you're too tender to do this at the moment, but the surgeon will be able to give you an estimate of when you can start. Probably about 4 weeks post op. If you're worried about scar visibility, another important thing is DON'T GO SUNTANNING for at least one year after surgery. I'm not kidding! Any "tanning" on scars less than a year old increases the pigment on the scar itself much more than surrounding skin, and you WILL end up with scars which are much more highly visible than those who didn't sunbake. Trust me - i live in Queensland, Australia, where the sun is much more harsh and dangerous than in most places in the USA. I have highly visible scars on my shoulders and back from having skin cancers removed, and exposing the fresh scars to the sun. Just cover it up for the first year - it's for your own good! Otherwise, you're taking the right step in seeing your doctor again. You need to let him know how much pain you've been in. Some of it is probably residual gas pain, but it's very important that he knows. I was banded two days after you and i was only on painkillers for 3 days, since then i have been fine. I still have mild discomfort around my wound sites, especially the port site (the largest scar) but it's not too bad. It is worst at night for me. But the important thing is, don't stress. This too will pass. You've made a very important decision in preserving your health and increasing your standard of living - not to mention becoming sexier! :banghead: Well done. Congratulations on your weight loss so far! And remember, we are all here to support you, so don't hesitate to post again if you have any more questions. Wow - that was a marathon post! Hope it helps! Annie.

Wow, I didn't realize it was so complicated! Thanks for your responses! I'll definately have to ask my surgeon at the end of the month when i go for my first fill! Annie.

Hi everyone, I am a relative n00b to the world of banding. One thing intriguing me is that, looking at different users' signatures, there seem to be some bands which have a fill quantity of only 4cc's, while others go up to 10cc's! Is a certain "brand of band" a certain capacity? The only type of band I had ever heard of before joining this site was the InaMed Lap-Band, which i gather is the original "brand". This is what I have (7 days post-op and feeling good, baby!) Does anyone know what the fill capacity of this particular brand is? I (obviously) haven't had a fill yet and I haven't had a chance to ask my surgeon. What if you have a 4cc band, but that's not enough restriction for you? I know that some of these are probably stupid questions, but hey - it's an anonymous website! :grouphug: Thanks!

Hey all, there is a great thread about this in the General Lap-Band Discussions section as well. It's super long with heaps of great contributions. Hope that helps, you can find my story in there as well! Annie.

Hi there banders, I have five, but I am jealous of you guys! Four of mine are around 1 inch long, and the port incision is 3 inches. None are hidden in my belly button. Then again, I'm only 7 days post-op, so they should fade down pretty well. Can't wait!

Go Team Shamrocks!

Phew! I was about to run a riot to my insurance company! Something along the lines of "We keep hearing that American health insurance is a crock, and yet they can still get free lap-band surgery???" :eek: Thanks for clearing that up! :grouphug:

Damn. I'm so glad I didn't have to play games like you guys! My heaviest weight was 100 kg (220 lbs) and on the day I saw the surgeon I was 96 (209 lbs). I was worried that he wouldn't accept me as a patient because I was too light! (I'm 5'3'). But he said he has used the lap band on people who weighed 75 kg (165 lbs). So I was never going to have a problem! Still, you're pretty lucky if you can get insurance to pay for your surgery. Here in Australia, even top-notch insurance will only cover some of it. I have top of the line insurance, and my procedure still cost me $6500 AUD (around $6200 US dollars). Without insurance you're looking at $20,000 AUD (around $19,000 US). You guys can get this fully paid by insurance? Damn. Thats brilliant. Thats worth gaining 100 pounds for.

Hi shrinking shamrocks, Well, day 6 (post-op) update, i'm kicking ass and taking names! Don't listen when they tell you that you won't be able to burp for a few weeks or you will find it really painful. I'm burping like a drunken sailor. I'm totally over Optifast, so tonight at dinner I had half a cup of mashed potato, and it went down just fine. I'm a bit gurgle-y, moreso than on optifast, but i consider it a small price to pay for not having to drink that sludge! I told myself i wouldn't cheat on the post-op diet, but i feel better when i hear about some people whose surgeons told them they could be on mashies after 3 days. I've got 2 weeks of liquid then 2 weeks of mashies, but after tonight, something tells me i might be advancing ahead of the class :tongue: Good luck to all those getting banded in the next few days! And of course, kudos to those already done! Viva la Lap Band! :tt2: Annie xox