SanDiegoPhotog

This is very strange for me because I've been cruising along with my lap-band for 2 years now with zero complications. Now, all of a sudden, in the past 4 weeks or so, I've developed weird, nauseated like symptoms. I actually thought I might be pregnant, because it feels like morning sickness ... sporadic waves of nausea throughout the day. It doesn't matter if I eat or don't eat. And, no, I'm not pregnant. I've looked at the symptoms for band slippage and they don't seem to be me: I don't have reflux OR vomiting. Just weird waves of nausea. My weight loss has slowed ... but a lot of that is me ... I haven't been exercsing as much as I used to and I don't have very much left to lose. I actually felt mauseated like this before I had my band, but after I had my gall bladder removed. But, I hadn't felt like this in years. I'm bummed. I want to feel better. :smile2: Thoughts?

Well, I feel like it has taken me forever to get here, when in reality it's really only been a year and a half! It was a lot easier in the beginning because the weight came off faster. Now that I'm closer to goal, I'm less motivated to lose it because I'm so comfortable in my skin (for a change), and because the weight loss is slower. BUT ... I woke up this morning to a happy surprise on the scale! I'm now down 102 pounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it!!!!! I have 11 more to my real goal and 21 to my dream goal. I should probably take and post some pics! Thanks for the inspiration, Ladies and Gentlemen. I feel honored to post in this thread amongst you hard-working and awe-inspiring folks. I've wanted to join this club for as long as I can remember and it feels GREAT to be here! HUGS AND KISSES AND PROTEIN SHAKES ALL AROUND! CHEERS!

For me, the hair loss was/is the worst. It doesn't matter how much or how little Protein I get, my hair just still falls out. But, I had a LOT of hair to begin with, so it's actually kind of nice to not have to blow dry for 15 hours.

I am so excited that I have lost 50 pounds, I can hardly stand it. Except for the part where I am starting to get shy about telling people how much I've lost (as the number climbs and climbs), I couldn't be happier. I just have to say that I NEVER in a million years would have been able to do this without my band!!! I started off at 263 in May. With pre-approval diets and pre-op liquids, got to 247 for the day of surgery (June 4, 2008). Just 3 months later, I am down to 213. With the exception of the pre-op and post-op liquid phases of the program, I have never once felt deprived with my lapband. Which is funny considering that I'm the person who was irritable and cranky and felt deprived the night BEFORE I was about to start a program like Weight Watchers or something because I KNEW the feelings of hunger and my so-called "starvation" that were awaiting me. I remember the headaches, the grumpiness. NOT THIS TIME! I currently have 6 ccs in a 10cc band and I have very good restriction. I am pretty tight most of the day, but get a little bit hungrier at night. I do occasionally eat things that aren't protein-filled or nutritious, but just tiny bites of them. I am trying to work the band like a "normal" person would eat . . . to get away from my strict Atkins mentality that always doomed me to failure at about Day 19. haha. And I workout like my salvation depends on it. haha! But I'm loving it. It feels great and I'm finally starting to look decent in workout clothes. Aside from marrying the love of my life and having children, this is the best darn thing I've ever done for myself. Thank you for all of your love and support . . . I still have a ways to go, but this is so exciting and fun to see a new me!!!!!

The first few months after surgery are the worst. The liquids, the recovery time (I couldn't lift my twin babies for almost 11 weeks!!!!), the desire to be thin and everyone telling me to be patient. IT SUCKED!!!!!!! Over a year later, I can honestly tell you that I had nothing to worry about and neither do you. You don't even know what restriction feels like yet. Get your fills, listen to your body, do your exercise, watch what you eat, and listen to your doctor and nutritionist and the weight WILL come off. Maybe not on YOUR timeline, but it will come off. Patience ..... a year goes by SO fast.

I swear my band tightens and loosens on me with the weather! That TOM, stress, illness, whatever ... I have to pay really close attention to my daily/weekly restriction. It's really super tight right now, but I do have days where it feels really loose. It's bizarre.

I found that when I posted a question at night, if I went to bed, I woke up in the morning to several answers to my question. So, my suggestion is to sleep on it before freaking out! :sad:

I actually burp more without the straw. I've been banded for 1 year and I've been using a straw for about 9 months now. Same thing happened to me as happened to another poster: I was using one all day one day without even thinking about it and had no ill-effects, so I just kept on using it. My doctor never forbade me from using straws, though. The first surgeon I went to said no straws, but the surgeon I ended up going to didn't mention it.

The pain really wasn't a problem for me either, but my doctor STRICTLY forbid me from lifting my babies for a MONTH --- and really more like 6 weeks when all was said and done. He's very, very cautious and he puts lifting restrictions on all of his patients, regardless of their parental status. The twins were 17 months when I had my surgery. I even managed to travel to visit in-laws right after my surgery (3 weeks post-op), but my in-laws, sister-in-law, and my husband did ALL of the lifting for me. I held my babies while seated, but did not lift them. His major reason for such strict lifting policies is that the stitches that hold your band in place need time to heal. Stitches on the outside can heal in 2-3 weeks because they are exposed to air, but stitches on the inside need more like 4-6 weeks to heal because they are in a wet/dark environment. He is also very strict about a post-op liquid diet. I notice it is much longer than most doctor's post-op liquid diet. I'm glad I followed his rules, though. I healed wonderfully and I don't have ANY problems with my band.

I have a 6 year old girl and 2-year-old fraternal twin girls. I'm almost at goal and my stomach is a train wreck. It won't ever be the same. I have a lot of wrinkly saggy skin now. Insurance covered my band, and DH has promised me a tummy tuck in the near future -- so now I just have to find the $$$$$.

I no longer have the insurance I had when I was banded. My fills aren't covered -- I pay for them with cash.

There are quite a few weight loss surgery billboards in San Diego. The television commercials are on the rise as well. It's a money-making industry just as much as (if not more than) any other.

I think I was on liquids FOREVER, shawnalynn. At least, at the time, it felt like it. Good for you for sticking to your doctor's protocol. It IS hard and you WILL get through it. I lost a lot of weight on the post-op liquid diet and the weight loss inspired me to keep going through the rough times. Now, it seems like so long ago that I barely remember it. This too shall pass!

I don't know. I don't see the big deal. Looks like a guy who can't control himself and the ad is suggesting that yes, since dieting DOES suck, perhaps he should get the band to help him control himself? I mean . . . I must admit . . . I DID used to eat like that. There's nothing in the ad to suggest that he has a band. There's nothing in the ad to suggest that banders eat that way. They didn't even make the guy look obese . . . and let's face it, if we have the band, we ARE or WERE obese! LOL! I guess I just see it differently from you guys. And, yes . . . I HAVE a band. [i also joke to my dog all the time as she scarfs down all of my scraps that she needs a lapband. LOL]. I guarantee the people who go to this doctor are still going through all of the same education as the rest of us and have to attend all the same seminars and go to the same nutritionist for making healthy changes in our diet. But then . . . I don't offend easily. Maybe deep down inside I'm European. THEY have some great potentially offensive advertising campaigns.

I actually think it's kind of hilarious. I guess I'm in the minority on that one! LOL! If nothing else . . . it is indeed memorable and gets people talking. :thumbup:

What's the quote? There are lies, damn lies, and then there are statistics? Yeah . . . statistics are lame. While they can tell a bit about generalities, they are never going to tell the whole story. Plus, statistics are so miserably skewed because the three people out of 100 who eat ice cream every day instead of following the band rules (crap, I ate ice cream today, LOL), are going to bring the stats down. I wouldn't worry too much about the stats and I'd worry more about how you're going to get to goal. It's still a lot of exercise and a lot of work. Good luck!

I also live in the USA and I don't fly anywhere for my fills or pay ungodly amounts for my fills. My old insurance that paid for my band paid for my fills. Now, I am cash pay, but my fills are only $150. I am super tight right now, so I'm hoping it will be at least a year until I need another fill - - if ever. I can also say that my surgeon is one of a few who perform the most lapbands in San Diego. I went to him because of his reputation and experience and because I hated the facility that performs the most lapbands in San Diego. My surgeon educated me on ALL of the WLS procedures, but felt I was a good candidate for the band. Ultimately, it was my decision. But, I did talk to other surgeons who didn't perform many lapbands and ALL of them tried to convince me to switch to their preferred surgery (bypass or sleeve). One tried to convince me to be her first lapband. AS IF! LOL! Now . . . had my preferred LAPBAND surgeon tried to convince me to go another route or tried to refer me to another surgeon, then I might have sat up and taken notice of that. That's why I still think you need to look at your doctor's motives. Is it YOU? Does she think you can't stick to the program? Is it your DOCTOR? Is she better versed in other surgeries? Or is it really that the lapband is so terrible? Based on so much success that I've seen on this board and other places (and my personal success), I have a hard time believing that the band is so terrible. But, many of the previous posters are correct: YOU have to do what's right for YOU.

So . . . one doctor advised against the band? If it was your surgeon who advised against the band but then later said she would perform the operation if it's what you wanted, then no . . . I would not get a lapband with this particular doctor. I guess my questions would be more along the lines of: How much of your OWN research have you done? Do you love this surgeon and trust her advice? Does this surgeon regularly perform lapband procedures or is she advising you against the lapband in favor of her preferred procedure? Have you gotten any second/third/fourth opinions? Ultimately, your decision to get or not get the band is up to you. The surgeons decision to perform or not perform the surgery is up to them. When two people can come together on this, then it is brilliant. But . . . when there's a disconnect, then yeah . . . I see major problems. Personally, my decision was made because the band actually has very few complications (fills are not a complication, by the way. they are a necessary "evil" . . . but not a complication). While complications can arise from fills, they are not complications in and of themselves. My decision was also made because the band is reversible. I was never going to get a gastric bypass or a gastric sleeve. They were too invasive IMO, and my reasons for getting the band were primarily cosmetic. I had zero health problems at my time of banding . . . still have none . . . but I knew I might be destined for problems in the future given my [former] obesity. To me, the band was a no-brainer. I needed to lose weight. I tried tons and tons of other methods to no avail. I was hungry all the time. And voila . . .the band cured me of that. Now, I'm only 1 year out . . . but I love my band. IF something were to go wrong with it, I would have it removed, and I would not get gastric bypass or the sleeve. I would *attempt* to keep the weight off myself or live with my obesity if I failed at keeping it off. Just my thoughts. Good luck with your decision.

I can't and don't eat a darned thing for breakfast. I drink an Atkins shake for breakfast every morning. I'm not too concerned about it being a "slider" because a. I don't even want to eat breakfast and b. it doesn't seem to affect my satiety--I already feel satiated in the morning.

I guess I never asked myself any of the questions you're asking, Kimo, because I was already at the point of desperation when I started researching the band. I only heard about it because I stumbled upon some interesting article about Sharon Osbourne, and here all this time I thought she had had gastric bypass. So, I started researching the band and this ray of light just turned on for me. There was NOTHING that was going to step in my way of getting myself one of those things! LOL! But . . . after 10+ years of being overweight, dieting, losing weight only to gain it back, getting pregnant and gaining more, losing it again and getting pregnant again and gaining even more and on and on and on, I couldn't take it anymore and I KNEW I couldn't do it by myself anymore. I needed the band. It was just working for waaaaaay too many people here despite a few outspoken naysayers. I just KNEW in my heart that this was the answer to my prayers. And guess what? It was and is the answer to my prayers. It is SO easy for me. I've been banded for 10 months and I'm almost at goal. My surgeon's thrilled with my results. *I* am thrilled my results. My husband is thrilled. My friends are thrilled. I'm like a whole new person. Sure, I eat some things I'm technically not "supposed" to -- but I can only eat a little tiny bit of it and I am done. I sometimes read stories about people who have been banded for a year and didn't lose any weight and I personally don't understand it . . . so . . . not to offend anyone, because while it has been super super easy for me, I also know that I've gotten my fills, followed up with my surgeon, I follow the band rules, I don't drink carbonation, I get plenty of protein, I exercise like crazy, and I stay away from junk. Given that, it was EASY. Now . . . had I tried all of that before? Yes. Would I lose weight? In the beginning. Did I gain the weight back? Yes and then some. Could I stick with it? Not for very long, if at all. What's the point of the band? My band gives me willpower and strength when I have none. Someone once posted a story here about how the band is a tool. You may say the band is "just" a tool, but it's so much more than that. If you go to dig a hole, you can do it with your hands. But isn't it easier to dig a hole with a shovel? My band is my shovel. Sure, I could do it on my own, but it's soooooo much easier to have the band.

About 2.5 years ago, I had to go to Hawaii for my sister's wedding. It was nearing October and any swimsuit that was left in the stores had already been through 4 or 5 clearance sales and was not looking pretty by this point. The fall clothes were definitely taking over. To top it off, I was 25 weeks pregnant with twins! So, I logged on to motherhood.com and bought whatever suits they still had left in their clearance section, which meant one 2X suit and one 3X suit. I wasn't sure which one would fit around my belly and my cellulite, so I went with both just to be safe. Today, I bought 2 bathing suits. They were size TEN! I kid you not . . . I bought SIZE TEN bathing suits. What a miracle. I'm still in shock. I still have a ways to go, but I'm very happy about my new bathing suits. I just had to share!

I've been off of Diet Coke for over 1 year now. I do NOT miss it. I can tell you that I have tasted just a sip of it and it was NASTY. It was so NOT what I remember it to be. It tasted like pure chemicals. I can't believe that I used to drive thru McDonalds and drink like 3 42 ouncers a day. Pathetic! I can also tell you that I kicked the diet coke habit 3 months before I got my band and my hunger decreased significantly from that alone. Not based on any scientific research or anything other than my own observation, but have you noticed that skinny/normal weight people do not have diet soda addictions like this to this extreme? It seems like all the obese people I know have massive addictions to soda -- even diet soda -- but only a couple of skinny people I know have the same problem. Or, if they do think that they have a problem, I typically find that they consider 2 cokes a day a "major" addiction. As if!

(oh, and at some point I *might* post before and after pics in the suit, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to work on my tan a little bit first before I get that courageous! haha)

Do I regret it? NOT. FOR. A. SINGLE. MINUTE. By far, my best decision ever.

Don't beat yourself up. Look at it this way, you showed extreme willpower AND lost a great amount of weight. I was confused post-op, too . . . but mainly because I had done so much reading here, had consulted with 2 different surgeons, and whenit came time post-op, my head was swimming with instructions/restrictions. Fortunately, my doc had written everything down for me in a little pamphlet so I was sure I was following HIS instructions and not someone else's . . . but even his were slightly different from the nutritionist's. It was a lot to keep straight. The other good news is, after being on all that puree'd food, you certainly didn't damage your band! [but I guess I don't understand why they couldn't fill you a little bit anyways. It took them 3 fills to get me to proper restriction and I believe the first one was a standard one he pretty much gives to everyone in the beginning. Strange.]