Northwest_Nance

From what I've seen, only the fortunate few feel restriction after their first fill. I've had four fills and only have mild restriction. My doctor only makes me wait a week between fills but a lot of other doctors are more conservative. Patience seems to be the name of the game..... and it's hard! I'm running out of it myself. Good luck to you!

Congratulations! :thumbup:

Congratulations! Best of luck to you on your exciting journey.

I'm fascinated by it too! I was in the delivery room with my best friend for her two c-sections and I was all eyes. The first time, they actually lifted her liver out and rested it on her chest (at least that's what it looked like to me, although of course it was still connected to her body!) and I said "Oh wow, that's your liver!" and she thought that was pretty funny (fortunately). After that I remembered to keep my mouth shut. I used to volunteer in the ER of a major trauma hospital and saw all kinds of stuff I never thought I could handle but it was all very interesting - stabbing victims with the knife still stuck in their chest, etc. I guess I should have gone into the medical field.

Wow Cathy, that's a long time between fills. I was banded on May 15th and I've had 4 fills. I'm not sure I'm at my "sweet spot" yet either... in fact I know I'm not, but I'm controlling what I'm eating pretty well, and losing weight, so I don't know if I'll go for my next fill next week. Oh and yes, I can eat the day after a fill. A lot of doctors have their patients on liquids or mushies for a period of time after a fill though. Are you keeping track of what you eat.... calories, Protein, carbs, etc.? That's where I would start, in trying to figure out why you're gaining instead of losing. But on the other hand, my nutritionist told me they don't really expect us to lose weight until we start getting fills.

I can't imagine why I'd want anyone to watch. It's not like giving birth to a baby and having your family share in that beautiful experience, lol. Thought one of the comments above about being butt naked was interesting. Supposedly only my stomach was exposed during my surgery but since I was out of it, I have no clue if that is really the case or not!

I didn't realize how much I slouched until I got the Wii Fit and it measured my balance and my posture. I was shocked by how much I had to lean backwards before the gauge said I was standing straight. It's helped me become much more aware of my posture.

I was banded in mid-May and for the most part, I do just fine with my 3 meals a day and I don't even think about eating in between meals. But then I'll have the occasional day, like this past Saturday. I wasn't hungry, but I wanted to eat. It's all I could think about. And while I was at it, I wanted a glass or two of wine too. Why not? LOL. I struggled with it all day. I was only half a pound away from losing 40 pounds and I kept telling myself "I really want to lose that half a pound more than I want to eat anything" but I had to tell myself that over and over. And then there was the wine issue.... one glass of wine couldn't hurt, right? Well, most of the time, it wouldn't hurt me, because I'd stop at one glass and it wouldn't lead to over-eating. But the way I was feeling on Saturday, it's most likely that one glass would have led to two. And two easily leads to wild abandon in the kitchen and I'd be waiting awhile to make that 40 pound mark. Like I said, I had a little war inside my head over this all day long on Saturday. It made me realize just how often over the years I have eaten (and drank) out of boredom. How sad is that? I made it through on Saturday without giving in, and woke up feeling pretty good about myself on Sunday morning. Then I made plans to keep myself busy on Sunday so I could fight off the boredom cravings. It's a process..... I think we can overcome it (at least for the most part) but we have to really work at it. We have to WANT to overcome it and we have to WANT to be healthy more than we want to eat. It just takes time.

Your doctor and/or his staff should have made their pre-op instructions very clear to you. I do understand cancelling surgery for gaining 8 pounds, as that can affect the liver which is a big concern for surgery. But it's not fair that you hadn't been warned not to let that happen. My doctor actually made me sign an agreement to lose 10 pounds before surgery. He said he started doing that because he'd have patients show up who hadn't lost the weight and they'd say "You didn't tell me to lose weight", when in fact, he had. So he decided to start making everyone sign a statement acknowledging that they'd been instructed to lose the weight. And he does cancel the surgery if you don't do it.... but we know that ahead of time. Four weeks on a liquid diet is very challenging but just keep your eye on the prize! Hope all goes well for you.

I've had several surgeries and I still get a little anxious about the anesthesia.... that's completely natural. I just remind myself that people go under anesthesia every day and my doctor puts people under anesthesia over and over and over every day. You will just take a deep breath and the next thing you'll know, you'll be in the recovery room. It's always a little strange to wake up and realize that life was happening all around you for that hour or so and you were completely unaware! Best of luck with your surgery, you're on your way!

I've had four fills and could easily have traveled after all four of them. But every fill is different and I think it's better to be safe than sorry. Unless you travel constantly and just can't avoid it, I think I would try to schedule my fill for a time when I would be close to home for the next week or so.

I know how you guys are feeling.... it's hard not to focus on the negative, and you have to keep in mind that people who are doing great and feeling good don't have the need to come to a message board like this one very often. It's when we're struggling, having doubts, having problems, have questions, etc., that we come here. So you're not seeing a full representation of lap band patients here. You've probably heard all this before.... but it's true the lap band isn't going to do all the work for you. It just makes it much easier for YOU to do the work you've tried and failed to do before. If you want to lose weight, you will. If you use your lap band tool to help you, you'll lose. If you want to keep eating the way you have been, you will find a way to "eat around" the band, and you won't lose weight. It's as simple as that. I've only been banded since May 15th but I can tell you it is amazing how much easier the band has made it for me to make healthy choices and the right portion sizes. Most days I don't even think about eating between meals. It just doesn't occur to me. Yes I still have days where my demons come calling to me and I just want to binge.... yesterday was one of those days for me. I thought about it a lot and realized that I wasn't hungry at all, I just wanted to eat because I was bored. It made me realize how all my life I've eaten because I was bored.... eating as entertainment. How boring does that make me? LOL. Anyway even knowing that, it was hard to stay on my plan for the day, but I am half a pound away from losing 40 pounds and I just kept thinking.... I really want to lose that half a pound more than I want to eat. And like I said, most days aren't like that for me. If you want the band to work for you.... it will. But if you're not ready to make the committment to change your eating habits and follow the bandster rules, you should think about whether this is the right procedure for you at this time.

Ouch, I'm so sorry to hear about your reflux.... it sounds miserable. Hopefully now with the medicine you are back on the right track. And congratulations on your weight loss! I'm short too..... 5'1".... and I've been fortunate so far to have avoided reflux or any problems like that, although I do burp a lot (indiscreetly and in a very lady-like manner, of course).

Wow I'm so sorry you are going through this, and just at a time when you have taken steps towards a healthier and happier life. First of all I think your cousin was very selfish to call you at work to confess -- that was all about her, not you. And I agree with your other noters, your husband has no excuse and should just take responsibility for his actions. I'm all in favor of doing everything you can to make a marriage work but I doubt I would be able to trust him again and you are probably doing the right thing to move on. You have a lot of good things ahead of you, keep on being good to yourself and stay on your healthy path. You'll look back on this from a much happier place down the road.

Oh I'm short.... 5'1"!! So I must be just a bit chubbier than you are, lol. Anyway that explains my lower goal weight, although I anticipate that when I get to around 150 I'm going to have to have patience, and work very hard to drop that last 20 pounds. I'm pretty comfortable at 150 but my doctor agrees that 130 is a reasonable and realistic goal, and at my height 130 would be healthier and look better. :party:

I was banded May 15th and had very similar circumstances, including realizing I wasn't getting enough calories and upping them to around 1000. But what finally got the scale moving for me was cutting back on the carbs. I am trying not to be too extreme about my diet -- I want to eat everything in moderation -- but I keep carbs in mind as I plan each day's menu, and try to keep them at around 15% or less, of my daily calories.

I also did it alone and had no problem. Everyone is different physically and emotionally, so I can only speak for myself. I had surgery at 1:00 pm, was home by 5:00 pm, and alone by 5:30 pm. I went out for a walk that evening. I did wake up in the middle of the night feeling more pain than I expected, which could have been alleviated if I'd taken my pain meds before I went to bed. All I needed to have on hand was my liquid diet, my pain meds, and my cell phone! The Gas-X strips and the heating pad that a noter mentioned above, are also very helpful.

Welcome, Minou! I think it's a good idea to continue to get as much Protein as you can. It's important for several reasons. Also as I understand it, it takes awhile before you'd see an effect like hair loss, as the problem starts in the roots and it's not until the affected roots start to grow out that the hair falls out. That's not a very technical explanation and may not be completely accurate, it's just the bits and pieces I remember from the explanation. Sounds like you're doing great, we were just about the same weight when we were banded and we're just about the same weight now, but you were banded two weeks later than me.... so you're doing well!

Welcome! This is a very good place to learn about the lap band. I would also suggest, though, that you do some independent research. Use Google to search for "lap band surgery", "lap band diary", "lap band blog", etc.... read all the diaries and blogs you can find, watch the surgery being performed on You Tube videos (there are post-surgery diaries there too). Go to a seminar if you can, and a support group meeting or two also if you can. It's a big decision and requires a committment to changing your lifestyle a bit. It's good to see you here, good luck to you whatever you decide.

Hello Ashley, and welcome! Congratulations on the journey you're soon to embark on.... well, actually you're already on it. Sounds like you're busy living a good life in the meantime, that's great!

My doctor had me slowly work solids in starting in week three after surgery. My doctor has no dietary requirements after a fill. In fact he wants us eating solid food by the next day because if we can't get solid food down by then, he wants to know about it. Every doctor is different and it's important to follow the instructions of the doctor you trusted your care to!

Some people have it worse than others; I was fine when I got home from the hospital but I woke up in the middle of the night in pretty bad pain. If she has prescription pain meds she should take them right on schedule -- they work much better if you take them before the pain gets too bad. And really, she should be feeling better every day. Oh, and yes, walk a lot. The more she walks, the faster she will feel better. Grats to her on the surgery, and to you for being so supportive.

I was self-pay. The fee I paid included all fills and treatment for 13 months following surgery. After that fills are $150 each. If you have insurance, I think your out of pocket costs are minimal. If you're self-pay, the biggest worry is post-surgery complications.

Hey Tootie, former New Orleanian here and with the fabulous food down there, it would be pretty hard to lose weight. In fact, that's where I gained a lot of mine! But seriously, I'm sure it's frustrating for you. Are you tracking your food? Do you know how many calories a day you're eating, how much Protein, and how many carbs? That information would be helpful.

You've been through a lot.... I can't imagine the discomfort and the anxiety.... so glad you're on the mend and your band is ok!