Crystalclear224

Hello Ladies, I haven't posted on here in a while. I was banded on 1/24/08 and and now 34 weeks pregnant. I went into have my band slightly unfilled in July because I was having some problems with nausea and keeping things down. I left it up to my doctor who took 2cc's out. He told me I could come back and have some put back in if it was to much. It was to much but all I could think of is I'm going to spend all this money to have some put back in only to a few weeks later need it taken out again. So, I have left it the way it is and at my last doctors appoitment yesterday I am up 31lbs. Its kind of fusterating and I keep telling myself that its ok its for a good cause and it will come off after the baby's born but it still is bothering me a bit. My doctor hasn't said anything about the amound I have gained. How bad is 31lbs when you are 34 weeks pregnant? I'm due January 25th so the part so I still have all the Holiday gatherings to get through:scared2:. Oh well I will get through it somehow. I hope everyone's pregnancy's are going well. I'm in the home stretch and can't wait to meet my little one. I don't know what the sex is. My husband and I wanted to keep it as a suprise. If anyone has any tips for me I would appriciate it. Thank you.

I have a question... I am 14 weeks pregnant and finally out of my 1st trimester. Last week I went and had an unfill because I was constantly nausous and there were days I couldn't eat hardly anything. He took 1.5 - 2 cc's out and now I feel like I can eat anything without much restriction. He did tell me to come back if I needed some put back in but It costs me some money to keep going back. I'm afraid if I have him put some in that in a few weeks as I being to show I will get to tight again. Would you guys wait a few weeks before you had a fill or would you go back now? Thanks for any advise I really don't want to gain a lot of weight so far I've actually lost a few pounds and I have no problem gaining the healthy amount but I have worked so hard as all of you have to get the weight off that I don't want to put anymore then whats health for my baby on. Thanks, Crystal

Hello everyone!! I am so happy to be joining the group. I was banded in Jan of '08 and am due to have my little one in Jan of '10. I am so excited. I had a feeling the last 3 weeks that I was pregnant and had taken 5 pregnancy tests that all came out with a faint positive but today I got the blood test results so I feel like its real:w00t:. I have my first appointment with the nurse on the 2nd and then I have to wait to see the Dr. until the 30th. I do however have a question for you. Is it normal to be feeling tinges of pain and cramping every once and a while when your between 5 and 6 weeks? I'm sure everything is changing down there but this is the first time I have ever been pregnant so I'm a little worried. Anyway congradulations to everyone and I'm looking forward to getting to know you all more.

Thank you all for your reply's. To keep you updated the veins were an early pregnancy sign for me and today I recieved my blood test results and am very happy to be pregnant. They told me my due date is 1/25/2010 and I am 5 weeks and 2 days pregnant. I don't have my first ultra sound until the 30th of June. I will be joining the other threads as well but whated to update all who replied. Thanks again

Hello everyone, my husband and I have been trying for 3 months now. I feel like we really timed it right this month :thumbsup: and am praying that we are pregnant. I have been waiting for what seems like forever to even start trying so I keep thinking I have all these symtoms and they have turn out to be in my head for the last two months. This month however I'm in the two week wait and I've have noticed the vains in my arms, legs, and especially breast have become noticable. I've never seen this before so I'm wondering if anyone else had this as an early pregnancy sign. Has anyone ever heard of this?

Hello all and congrats to everyone who is pregnant or has already had their baby. I am looking forward to the day when I can join you. I'm hopping by May my husband and I can start trying (skipping June due to the fact my husband says no sex in June because then the baby would be born in March which would interupt March Madness :drool:.) I would like to loose some more weight :thumbup: to have a really healthy pregnancy but its so hard to "weight". I have a question for you all....In what unique ways did you tell your husbands/mothers you were pregnant? Looking forward to this day very much and love hearing peoples stories. :tongue:

Thanks for all the story's. I love hearing them. The pickles and Ice cream idea was really cute. I'm hoping that when the day comes I will be able to keep it from my husband until my plan unfolds (not sure what the plan is yet :thumbup:). I know with my parents I will be able to wait because I live 5 hours from them so I think I can controle myself talking to them on the phone until I see them face to face (no plan there yet either) lol. Anyway thanks again for the stories.

Luigismama, I finally found the new list of support group dates on their website. The link is as follows: http://www.pvsurgical.com/bariatric/West_Springfield.pdf The next meeting is 2/23 at 6:30 but I would get their early for a good seat. I got their 5-10 minuets early last time and still had to wait for them to put out more chairs. I can't make the meeting in Feb. but I do plan on going in March to see if maybe it was just because it was the first time they combined them. Who knows maybe the have a plan on how to include those who have had the surgery more. We will see. :thumbup:

Hello, I knew that I had gall stones before I had the band. I had several bad attacks of pain from them. When I decied to talk to my Dr. about lap band he said he would not take the gall bladder out at the same time as he put the lapband in due to possible contamination. I had the lapband on 1/24/08 and I just had my gall bladder out 1/16/09. When I went back to talk to him about taking my gall bladder out he told me that if I wasn't having any problems with it then I didn't need to have it taken out. I told him I had had problems in the past but only had one minor attack since I had my band put in, but that I wanted to get pregnant soon. Every Dr. I had ever talked to told me I had to have it taken out before I got pregnant because if you have stones then the chances of everything flaring up during pregnancy is very possible. So thats why I had mine out and as far as time, I wanted to wait until I lost some weight but my doctor didn't give me a time line. I would ask your Doctor why he wants you to have it taken out if you've never had any pain from it. You can check and see if they do the procedures at the same time I think some doctors will. I found the gall bladder surgery to be easier than the lapband surgery. Hope this helped. Good luck.

KMartin, It was crazy how many people were there Monday night. I agree that it was not helpful at all for post-op patients. I have been to a few of the post-op meetings before they combined them and there was maybe 20 people total there so you really felt you could talk and ask questions but this meeting last Monday didn't convay that feeling at all. I know it was more helpful to me having a leader of the meeting be someone who has had the band and knows what we are going through like it used to. I think one of the best ways to let them know that this format is not working for us would be to talk to the people who used to run the meetings. They were there last week but didn't get a chance to speak. Unfortunatly, I can't make next months meeting but l am willing to try and help get the old format back. It did sound like they weren't going to crack for at least the next few months. I'm not sure what to do. I don't know if calling the office is going to help. I wish I still had the email of the former leader. I'll look around for it and let you know if I find it so we can talk to her about it. She has it in with office and the surgeons. I'm sorry I didn't get to meet you either. Maybe next time. I've had my band for a year now and if you have any questions please feel free to email me I'll be happy to help in any way that I can. Good luck and congrats your 14lbs.

Last Nights (1/26) support Group Meeting I know it was their first time so it will be a little bumpy but I found the meeting last night to be boring. I've had my band for a year now and The first hour was nothing but about how you need to eat and think before you get the band. I always came home from the post-op meetings prior feeling better and like I learned something but I really feel that last night was geared more towards people who haven't had the band yet. I'm missing the post-op meetings already. I will however give it another try but I was just wondering if anyone else felt the same way?

Thank you for finding that information out Kmartin. I have been to some of the post-op meeting and am shocked they are combining the two. I am interested in what the new format will be so I do plan on going on Monday if I am feeling better. I too had Dr. Haag do a surgery on me Friday 1/16. I had to have my gall bladder out and since Dr. Haag new me from the lap band I had him do the surgery. I hope you are feeling better and I wish you the best of luck with your lapband journey. Oh, what time does it start now that they are combined?? Is it earlier? I really can't wait to hear from the leaders why they are combining them, it really doesn't make sense to me. Again thank you for the information. Brockbabe it took 4 fills for me to get good restriction but everyone is different.

Brockbabe thank you for your reply about the next support group meeting being on 1/26/09. I'm just a little confused, did they change the day of the week. Last year they were all on Tuesdays. I just don't want to show up on the wrong day. Thank you

Congrats everyone!! I am so glad to hear about people successes. I will have been banded for one year on 1/24/09. I can't believe how different my life has been this past year. I have lost 65lbs since my surgery and I feel great. I have gone from a size 32/34 to a 22/24. I go to the gym at least 3 times per week usually. I just had to have my gall bladder removed 1/16/09 and I remember after my lap band surgery when I had to relax and do nothing for a week it was much easier than it has been this time. I am completly board and I can't wait to get back to the gym and start doing things again. This whole new way of living is great. Its no longer about food but its about living my life to its fullest. This year I hope to continue loosing the wieght and getting more and more healthy. I also am looking forward to getting pregnant and having a healthy preganancy. I will be 29 next month and feel younger then I did at 25. The band has been the best thing I have ever done for myself and would recommend it to anyone.

Hello, I'm just wondering if anyone has the new post-op meeting list for 2009. I missed the last one in December. If someone could give me the date in January I would greatly appreciate it. Kmartin121 - Congrats on the date. Dr. Haag is great. I was nervous also but its the best thing I've done for myself. If you have any questions please feel free to email me. Good Luck!!

Hello everyone! I was hoping to get some of your opinions on something. Let me start with some history. I was banded in 1/08 (love my band) and have lost 39lbs since the surgery. I have been married for 6 years now and am 28 years old. My hubby and I really feel its time to start a family. Right now my weight is still 320lbs :cursing:. I really don't want to have to wait until I get to my goal weight to start trying to have a baby but I also want to have a healthy pregnancy and baby. I'm wondering how much more I should loose before we start trying. Other than being the weight I am, I am a healthy person. I don't have have diabeties or High blood pressure and I'm working out at least 4 days a week for an hour or more. I plan on talking to my doctor about this but I was hopping for some feed back from some people who have been through the same thing. Thanks!!

Thanks everyone for your reply's. My goal weight is 160-170, I am 5'8". I plan on waiting until I get to atleast 250. I just keep telling myself its only 70 more pounds you can wait its just really hard but I know its best for me and my baby. My surgeon never said to wait a full year after the surgery infact I know someone who didn't, but by the time I get that 70 lbs off I'm sure it will be Jan. and thats my bandaversary. Some of my thinking is that it took my mom almost 2 years to get pregnant with her first so I keep thinking that what if I wait another year then it takes two to get pregnant it seems so far away:angry:. I don't know its all in Gods hands anyway. I do plan on watching another 70lbs drop off me before I try. Thanks again for your reply's :tt1:

Hello everyone this is the first thread I have ever started so I'm a little new at this :smile:. I'm 28 years old and getting my first MP3 player ever :thumbup: (I know this is sad this is very sad) but anyway, I want to take it to the Y to workout with. I have never been that much into buying CD's because I like one or two songs and not the rest. And I have always considered buying something nice for myself, house or husband with my money was more useful than CD's when there is the radio for free. Well, after a month of the Y I am very tired of the station they play so therefor I am finally ready to dive into the technology world and would like all of your help. I was hopping everyone could give me some good ideas for workout songs. It would be great to get on the elliptical and listen to something that makes me move my butt and, with out comercials. :w00t:

Thank you guys for all of your ideas they all sound great!

Thank You babs for the info. I'm glad your doing so well. I hope the surgery goes as smoothly for me as it did for you. Never even thought about needing an unfill after due to swelling. Maybe this summer I will consider just having the stupid thing out. Again thanks for the info.

How was the gall bladder surgery. I have gall stones but wanted to loose some weight before I had it taken out so I had the lap band surgery first but was told that I needed to have it out before I had any kids. Are you still in a lot of pain from it? Hope you don't mind me asking. I really don't want to go in for another surgery but I don't know what it means if I go ahead and get pregnant before I have it out. I do know that I don't really want to get another attack, those are so painful. Dr Haag did my lap band so I am planning on sticking with him for my gall bladder, but anyway just wondering your recover time.

I was so happy to find this thread. I was banded by Dr. Haag on 1/24/08. I have lost 29 lbs so far and love my band. I have had two fills. Dr. Haag is great. When I first went to him my husband was so nervouse he really didn't want me to go through with it. But after talking with Dr. Haag he calmed down about it and was always like yeah I trust that Doctor. (he has trust issue with doctors stemming from when he was young) Anyway, I just wanted to tell anyone who is thinking about PVSA that they are great and everyone I've come in contact with through them has been wonderful in my journey. Feel fee to email me with any questions you may have.

Hi all, i was so happy to read this post I feel the same way! I was banded on the 24th of Jan and have lost 27lbs. Its fusterating when you know your exercising every other day for an hour and still no weight comes off. I just keep trying to tell myself that at least I'm feeling good and my clothes are feeling huge and I am changing my life even though it seems so slow at times. I wish I had taken my measurments the day before my surgery instead of just a picture and my weight. I feel as though I've lost more inches than the scale is showing. I just had my 2nd fill yesterday so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this is the one. If not I will have another one but in the mean time i will keep on exercising and making the best food choices i can. I wish everyone good luck and I know that we will all get through this.

Hi, I used to work for a pedorthist and I am also a heavy supinator. When I worked there he started selling shoes and everytime he got in a new brand I would try their sneakers well he finally got in this brand called Aetrex and they are the best sneakers I have ever wore. The are very sturdy and I do everything in them. They cost me like $120 but they are all I will buy now. I also have him put a lateral wedge on the outside it helps with the supination. I can always feel my knees when I'm not wearing those shoes but never have a problem when I am. If you go to Aetrex Worldwide, Inc - Bringing Footwear and Footcare Products that enable you to Live Your Way click on home than click on footwear products then find a dealer you can enter your zip code and find stores in your area that sell them. I can't garantee that they will work for you but I'm also in the 300's and they are the best I've every tried. Any questions just ask me. Hope this helps!

Hello everyone my name is Crystal I'm from the Springfield area of MA. I started my journey in Aug. and was banded 1/28/08 by Dr. Haag. Dr. Haag is a great doctor very patient with eveyone. It is now 3/25/08 and I have lost 22 pounds. I love my new life. I have been heavy for my whole life and can't wait to see the true Crystal at a healthy weight. I am willing to answer anyones questions about Dr. Haag so feel free to contact me.