brandyII

Thanks Chickie I'll call on Monday! brandyII

Jack, can I assume you're not a woman with pcos? LOL. Anyway I was put on liquid diet prior to surgery and did struggle with that also and lost about 20 pounds which was not 10% of my body weight, just shy about five. Anyway it definitely was a struggle but I did lose weight that way but not now that I can eat "food". Still struggling with fills etc... also, had a few mishaps with them but I don't even think that's an issue. Thanks, brandyII.

Who would you suggest I go to an endocrynologist or my primary? I was never given the test strips/testing kit prior to surgery when I was first diagnosed with type II diabetes and when I saw a different endocrynologist as a part of my pre-surgery screening I told her this and she gave me one but this was prior to gaining back all the weight too. I had checked my sugar since but I guess I really don't know that much about it. I know I must sound stupid to you but I guess it didn't seem like an urgent issue or they would have given me the kit originally. Anyway I try to take control of my medical issues but I put things off because of the surgery and now that it seems like it's not working the way it should be I'm now trying to get back to the other health issues and trying to see if maybe they're playing a factor in my probs. Anywho, thanks for all suggestions, brandyII.

princess_sophie, I usually don't speak to cats, jk, anyway I wish I knew "really" why some do really well and some don't. I see my surgeon in a couple weeks to see what my next step is in my lap band journey, more fill, stay the same or what. I wish you luck and never assume you won't do well on the band because some have not. I've read many people who seem to go through this whole thing swimmingly so hopefully you will too. Good luck brandyII>

Favorite, first three months they didn't really fill it at all because they thought that it was a small band and I had the large and so being my only experience it was a bit confusing to me. Then I got a fill from the surgeon and it seemed fairly tight and I got to know what it was like to eat the Protein and vomit if it wasn't chewed enough or if I didn't eat slow enough. Then went back for another fill because I was still gaining weight and then two weeks later got another fill and was mistaken given more than they had thought and was vomiting my own saliva for 10 hours until I met a surgeon on call to get two cc's removed. Now I'm at 4 ccs and can feel full and will walk on the treadmill but am still not losing weight and it's been 8 months and I don't know how many more adjustments I need or months I need to wait to get it right. I may never get it right but I still haven't given up completely yet but would still like to know my options, thanks brandyII.

Montana PamDon't be ashamed of yourself, there is no reason you need to do that. You feel bad enough without putting more on you!! We're basically taught as fat people that we're bad, and it's our fault that we're fat and we're the last group of people out there that people can still make fun of or shame or whatever and it's not right. We've taken it way too long and it's time that we stop, think about it and say I'm better than that and go on with our lives. Sorry for being so preachy but it does make me mad that we're taught to hate ourselves because we're fat. The trick with the band, if it's not too tight, is that you have to slow down your eating. I came from a big Catholic family with a lot of boys and when the food was put down on the table it was devoured pretty quickly! Anyway I really did realize that when I was home I did eat too fast, when I'm out in public or at someone's house I tend to eat slower becasue it's more lady like, lol. Anyway you really have to slow it down and chew it for a while, even though you're not used to eating that way and eventually you'll see that it does work. Tonight I ate some hamburger and cottage cheese with some ketchup and I really chewed that hamburger very well before swollowing. Also white meat poultry and something like pork or roast beef are more tricky so it depends on the person but if you moisten it and chew it very well it should go down, if not then stay away from it for a while. If nothing else works than maybe your band is too tight and you need some taken out. I'm the last person to be an expert at this but I know what works for me even if I've gained in the past because I didn't want to deal with the Protein because like you I was throwing it up. Also warm foods do better than cold. chicken thighs to me were easier than the rest of the chicken because they hold more moisture. Anyway keep trying, I know it's hard, I still get embarassed because I spent $30,000 on surgery and have nothing to show for it yet after 8 months but I'm still trying and haven't completely thrown in the towel yet! Good luck to you and don't punish yourself like we all tend to do, is it worth it in the end? I mean what if we didn't lose the weight, does it mean we're not worthwhile human beings? No it doesn't!! Love yourself first that's what matters most in life!!! Good luck to you, brandyII.

Well, the truth is that I've some problems since I've had the lap band and it doesn't seem to be working for me and I might need the extra help you get from gastric bypass with the malaobsorption (sp) part etc... I was scheduled to get the bypass but chickened out at the last minute and got the lap band instead. Does that make sense? I'm happy it's working for you but it just really hasn't for me and I'm sure there are some of us out there that it just doesn't work out for. Thanks, brandyII.

Kat225, You can do it:thumbup:brandyII.

I'm starting to think that I over reacted with that comment, I'm not sorry I had the lap band and am still trying to get it to work, brandyII.

NanaRenan, My orignal Swanns man retired and I'm glad because he would stop by every week to see if I wanted anything and of course I'd say just a minute and look at my brochure and pick out a flavor. Hardest ice cream in the world! Now the new younger Swanns man isn't into that type of service so in a way it's good, I didn't even have to leave the house to get me some ice cream and that was not good!

Thanks Vicki J, I appreciate it. I remember speaking with someone at the surgeon's office about how it's easier for me to eat dark meat than white chicken meat and she made a big deal about how much fat was on the dark meat. That's kind of why it goes down you know? I tend to gag more on white meat and like you said leftovers tend to get tougher for some reason, actually I ate it from the fridge when it was cold so that made a big difference. I do tend to eat some ketchup with my eggs just as a preventative, probably not healthy but for now I'm doing better than I was. Thanks for your support, brandyII.:thumbup:

I got my lap band last August 2007 and have had problems ever since. The surgery was fine, no problems there. The problems started with my fills. They misjudged the size of my band so for the first four months I barely had any thing in my band and I could eat whatever I wanted but in my head I thought it was all my fault. Then by the third fill they realized I needed more because I had the large size band they gave me the correct amount for the time and that's when I started having problems with food. I had no problem with "liquids" which for me were things like sugar free Jello mixed with sugar free or fat free "Coolwhip" and fat free yogurt. If I tried to eat Protein and veggies they filled me up too fast no matter how much I chewed or how slow I ate. So of course I would end up eating more of the "soft foods" and what my body really needed protein and fruits and veg etc... Anywho I then began to gain back the weight that I had lost prior to surgery when I was on the liquid shakes, which was about 25 lbs back in July/August. I met with the "filler" of my port and explained my probs and got another fill which again made it more difficult to eat the "good" foods. Once more met with "filler" and then mistakenly put in too much fill and had about 12 hours of vomiting up my own saliva, went to ER to have the excess fill removed. Long story short I'm at the point now where I know that I'm eating wrong because I can't eat the good foods and believe me, I actually want to eat a salad and protein but now the thought actually makes me feel ill. I knew prior to surgery that you can't drink your diet afterwards, meaning eat ice cream or milk shakes etc... but I honestly thought that I would not be able to eat chocolate like it was Water or even Cookies or cake or chips even. Why is it that I can eat all the bad foods but can't tolerate the good foods? I wish someone would have told me that or I would have found a site a year ago so that I would have had the gastric bypass instead. I am in my mid forties so I wasn't in a rush to lose the weight and had gotten down to around 225 when I had the surgery so I thought it was a slow proceedure but I still thought it/I would be successful. Anyway I'm back up to 245 now and it's been seven months since the lap band surgery and I feel terrible, has anyone else had an experience like mine, thanks for letting me vent.:thumbup:

Montana Pam, I think we all get depressed, so you're not alone. I think the older women get the harder it is to lose weight too just because of our metabolisms slowing down. It sounds to me that you've done really well though and I'm looking at the good things you've done. You just want to stop putting it on like I did. I lost 25 by my first fill including prior to surgery and then after that because I wasn't filled enough and then once I was I found it too hard to eat the Protein and just ate soft foods I gained back 20. People here have been really helpful to me and have gotten me back on track. I find they know more than our doctors at times, or at least know the right thing to say to encourage you. Everyone has bad times and gets depressed if they're not doing well but try to eat slowly and chew your Proteins and veg really well and see if that curbs your cravings for other things and give yourself a chance to get the hang of it. It's taken me almost 8 months to figure out this blasted thing! If I can do it you can do it too! Good luck to you and see your doc if you think you need to or if you think you need a fill, brandyII.

The bad thing is if you take all the junk food out of the house anything can be turned into junk food if you want it. Maybe you're craving something sweet but you don't have ice cream or Cookies etc... I've taken Peanut Butter and mixed it with powder sugar before, it's a very complicated issue and different for everyone. It's not like quitting smoking or drinking where you just take it out of the house you have to eat and that's why it's such a difficult thing to resolve. I've been on Weight Watchers since 1972 or 1973 so I was pretty much a "chubby" kid all my life. When I was 18 and went away to college I found that I had an easier time because I had to leave my dorm to go get food and if I didn't leave I didn't eat. I also had a "pharmacist" in the dorm room next to mine. That was the 70s and that helped and also I was a smoker and young and it was so much easier. So I lost 100 pounds and was thin for the first time in my life and got all the good that went along with it! Then something happened, not sure what but I was in a content phase with my boyfriend-now husband of 25+ years and it started to creep back on. It was like a a snowball rolling down a mountain and I couldn't control it and went back up 100+ pounds. Felt worse being fat then because I had lost it all and got all the "good" attention and compliements etc... and when you put it all back on you get the "what happened to you" looks and comments. Which you don't really need because you give them to yourself anyway. Then I got engage and said to myself I'm not going to be a fat bride and did it again. Lost the 100 pounds and was a thin bride. Guess what, I bet you can, yep, I felt that snow ball again. I actually remember back then that I had to do something to stop it but I didn't know what. I heard some friend of mine had gone to OEA so I thought I'd give it a try. I went and found it so damn depressing that I left and drove crying all the way home. Then since I was a veteran of Weight Watchers I said I'll go there. Now we're talking early 80s and I get on the scale with clothes and shoes, I'm 5'6" and the scale said 126 lbs. They're like I think you might be too thin to join, and they kind looked at paperwork and stuff and said okay you can join. Now that I look back at that I think what the bleep! Anyway it didn't stop that snowball effect either and it started to come back on but only about 40 lbs. Eventually after two children I went past the 100 lb mark and got up to about 253 lbs and am about 10 pounds short of that now since starting this program. Sorry I have been rambling but I've done everything from every diet, the pregnant woman urine injection to various drugs to lose weight and that all started at an early age of about 13 and I'll be turning 48 in April. I basically got the lap band to try to lose some weight and to keep the snowball from turning into an avalanche of sorts. I've complained about it and have screwed up a bit but am not giving up on getting to a healthy weight/size. I'm about a size 24 now depending on top or bottoms and would love to be a 14/16 in a world that seems to worship the size 0. And believe me when I was a size 9 it probably was a zero back in the 70s! So anyway thanks for listening to my story and my venting whatever, I like to feel like I'm a part of something even though we're all different, races, nationalities, sexes, religions, etc... we have this one thing in common and in a way it may be one of the first things I still tend to identify with. I'm sure there are a lot of you who think it's terrible to identify with being a "fat" person but I am and may always be and I have to love my self for me:w00t:, thanks brandyII

VickiJ, I'm doing a bit better although last night I had a craving and went for some chicken and it decided it didn't want to stay there for long so that was fun. Today though I just had Protein and eating slower and chewing more and it went down fine but it was scrambled eggs so I guess they are easier. I still need to walk on the treadmill, keeps me regular in many mays, I know TMI. Anyway I'm feeling better about the band and am hoping by the time I see my surgeon in about 3 weeks I'll either get a fill or stay the same and not remove any because I'll be getting a hang of it, thanks brandyII.

phowell, thanks for your advice, I think I'm starting to get it now, I hope! I am trying to eat the Protein more and that's basically helping me a lot. Thanks, brandyII.

synicalchick, that's a good screen name, how I feel/felt. Sounds like you're doing really well and feel better too. I'm one of those who would cancel appointments because in some weird way I didn't want to disappoint the doctor, is that crazy thinking or what? Anyway I'm the one who totally screwed up and ended up gaining back most of what I lost prior to surgery and am now trying to stay on track but eating the foods now instead of liquids etc... Seven months post-surgery and still trying! Good luck to you too! brandyII

Banded905, that's pretty strange, how many cc's do you have all together? I had probs where the nurse thought I had the small band but I had the large size one and only put in a tiny bit the first two of my fills so I had no restriction for the first three months. But then once the surgeon did my fill he put in about 3.5 and I had restriction then and now have about 4 and definitely feel it. Except of course for the "sliders" which I'm famous for liking. But that does seem weird. Usually after a fill you're even sort of swollen and my doctor or whoever does the fill tells me to do liquids for a day or two afterwards. I'm no expert but something does seem wrong and the doctor doesn't seem to believe you when you tell them how you feel physically afterwards. Hope you can get things worked out, brandyII.

Thanks Janet, I just didn't know if everyone was affected differently, physically not just the mental part of it. I'm trying and I appreciate you thoughts, brandyII.

Freeforall, Saw the bracelet forum and started wondering if it was something that everyone was supposed to get or should. I know the questions were directed towards lap band patients but do you think gastric bypass patients will need them to. Sorry don't know much about medical ID bracelets, thanks brandyII

Thanks Sfeiner, your dog is very cute too! I wish he/she were mine, a friend of mine sends me all sorts of animal links all the time and I fell in love with this pic and put it up. I should put up my own dogs, one's a sato, rescued from Puerto Rico and the other is a shepherd mix rescued from hurricane Katrina. Satos are very skittish and the shepherd mix is only a year but he's kind of affraid of others outside the family too but we're still working on him. I think there needs to be a "dog lovers lap band forum" because everyone loves to talk about their dogs don't you think?

Do you all think that everyone has different "slider foods". I know someone mentioned pizza but for the life of me I can't eat pizza anymore, barely a nibble. I had never heard the term slider food before but that's the perfect name for it. I am trying to focus more on the protein and have noticed that if I get it down I am less likely to want to eat the bad foods unless it's just the time of month for me but I'm hoping that changing how I've been eating will help me not crave and go for the sliders!, thanks all who listen, BrandyII.

Okay Susan4794, you're a super moderator so I'm assuming you know your stuff! Does your band really keep you from eating the whole bag? I'm not kidding, I feel like there are certain foods that just pass through without a problem and one of those are cookies, chocolates, chips etc... I'm not saying I'm always craving a bag of chips but does the fill ever get to a point where it stops even things like chocolate, cookies, candy, chips. I can't eat crackers and I can't eat donuts but those other things don't seem to get limited in my band. Is it me or everyone? Serious question from brandyII.

Thanks to Babynicole I found out how to up my picture of the bulldog puppy but it's not my dog, my 2 dogs are rescue dogs of a variety of breeds and very loving but I still love bulldogs!:thumbup:

KINGSKID66, Glad to hear you're okay. I guess I was lucky and called near midnight after I was too full and a surgeon met me 45 minutes away at their office after midnight. She was able to get the fill out before I had suffered all the dehydration etc... that you had. I've heard horror stories of hospitals not knowing how to deal with lap band ports etc... She did tell me one thing, if you're throwing up for two hours straight then it's a problem and never go past two! So now we all know right? Good luck to you and your health in the future, brandyII.