mom2twins

All I can say is that I am right there with you. I have given up on my band, however it still causes me problems. All the doctor in my area have moved to bigger cities for bigger paychecks, so my band is empty and still causes me problems. I do go to the gym and walk on the treadmills. I have been very happy to be able to eat more salads and vegetables than before they opened my band again. I wish I could give you more answers than I have been able to get, just know that it is not just you and there are others out here in the same boat.

I recieved an email today and it reminded me that it has been four years since I started this journey. At first I was very scared, and then happy and looking forward to getting thinner and living a happier life. So far I lost about 30 pounds, then stopped because I was throwing up more than I was keeping down. After a year of that I finally found an other doctor out of town ( all lapband docs in my town have moved to bigger cities) and they unfilled it completely. Over the last two years I have gained back everything I had lost. I still have a few days a week where I throw up almost as much as I eat and yes I am chewing the food completely. I still excersice and watch what I eat but nothing seems to help me. I am still convienced that it has more to do with my matabolism and hormones but doctor know more than I do about me even thought they only see me 15 minutes every 6 months. I am stuck with this thing instide me that has only made my life more troubling than it has helped. I do not mean to scare or worry anyone else, but that was part of why I liked this web site so much was that I know there were others who were not happy before I got mine so that I did not feel like such a failure when I stopped loosing and then had to have it emptied. However when my two pre-teen daughters see me running to the bathroom to throw up every time I eat, and they start doing it also; it was time to just get fat again. they are worth more to me than being skinny. Sherry

This is a very good recipe that is easy to make. I will post the original recipe here and you can change whatever to meet your needs. I cut is into a fourth for myself, you can use sugar free/fat free items or even change the flavor and the fruit. It is good for the soft or mushie stages also. Mandarin Orange Salad 2 large boxes orange Jell-O 1 small container cottage cheese (small curd) 3 large containers Cool Whip 4 cans mandarin oranges, drained well In large bowl mix Jell-O and cottage cheese. Fold in Cool Whip and oranges:saving some for the top if desired. Refridgerate covered for about 30 minutes. This recipe is for a large quanitity. When the lady I got this from brought it to church for put lucks it was never enough. She even doubled this a few times and it still went before any of the main dishes did. Enjoy!!:biggrin2:

I have to eat at night or else I wake up after i start gettin ghungry with a horribel pain. the only time i really hurt is when I get hungry adn my sotmach starts to growl

Hey guys, sorry I have been gone for so long. I lost a littel bit of weight and got a big dose of self confidence and went out and got a job. I have been a stay at home mom for over ten years so this was a big change for me. I am slowly starting to adjust, but after working on the computer for 40 hours a week it has been hard to get back on the computer at night. I have to spend some time with my girls. looking foreward to catching up with everybody.

Hey guys, sorry I have been gone for so long. I lost a littel bit of weight and got a big dose of self confidence and went out and got a job. I have been a stay at home mom for over ten years so this was a big change for me. I am slowly starting to adjust, but after working on the computer for 40 hours a week it has been hard to get back on the computer at night. I have to spend some time with my girls. looking foreward to catching up with everybody. :smile2:

:blush:I am so computer challenged. It took me over 3 hours to figure out how to get the ticker to show up in the signature block. I think they are great and look really nice when you reply to a post. Now I just have to get over the hurdle of keeping it updated. I lost the first one that I did out in computer land and have no idea how to find it agian so I made another one. I guess my life will be first and little achivements from now on.

here is a trick to try. when I was a nursing assistant they told us that if you are feeling like throwing up place a cool damp cloth on the back of your neck and breath through your nose. the cool cloth helps calm the nerve endings and when you breath through your nose you can't throw up. I have tried this with my kids and it does seem to help a lot. however it you have something stuck or eat way to much these won't help.

i get muscle twinges under my port. it is almost like being pregnant again but with the movement in a different place. however my port is directly under my waist line. my doctor said this was normal and that your muscles just have to adjust to having it there. mine didn't start hurting until after my first fill and then it does bug me at night and when I sit for a long time. you'll get used to it.

I just had my second fill two weeks ago. It seems like the first week after a fill I am restricted, but by the end of the second week it is almost like I never had the fill. i didn't loose anything the third month of having my band. I got a fill almost two weeks ago and it was really tight the first four days. after that I have been able to eat like i did before the fill, it was the same way with my first fill also. the receptionist told me I was only allowed 6 fills a year with my insurance company so I am worried aobut getting it adjusted again so soon because I dont' want to use them all up and be stuck with a loose band next summer waiting for the calendar to change to get the next fill. just know that you are not alone.

In the begining it is not about not eating it is about healing. as long as you are not hurting after you eat don't worry about it. with the liquid and mushie stages it goes throught the band really easily so you can eat more of that type of stuff but once you move into the soft stages you will feel the difference. When I was on the mushies I felt like I wasn't eating enough because it all went through so easily. keep your spirits up and don't worry about how much for right now, like I said if you are eating enough and not hurting you are doing good. The first time you eat enough that you are hurting for about two hours afterward then you will know when it is too much

I just wanted to say think you to all the others who have posted after they were banded. I read this forum daily while trying to make the decision to have the band or not. I did not get a lot of information from my surgeon, and most of what I have learned has come from this web site of books recommended by the people on here. I did wonderful because I took the advise of the some of the posters that made good suggestions and it made a big difference in my recovery and the lady who had hers done right before me on the same day. Please don't stop helping others like you have helped me. Once again, Thank You to Everyone and the people who started this web site.

I felt the same way at first. The week before I was banded I started looking at it a different way. I wrote out what the doctor suggested for the first 14 days and just shopped for that time period. After that I stopped thinking about what I shouldn't eat and started concentrating on what I was allowed to eat at the stage that I was at. That seems to help me focus on the stage I was at and not get overwhelmed by the whole concept of everything. I had my first fill and had to go back to liquids for a few days. I had put that stage so far behind me that I had to look back at the food list from the surgeon. Just take a deep breath and go one week/ or stage at a time.

The last six weeks have gone by so quickly. I am feeling so much better and have healed wonderfully. I am getting some of my self confidence back and standing up to my family for a change. I have also been job hunting for the first time in ten years. It is nice to not feel like the elephant in the room while waiting with all the others to go in for a job interview. I am hopful that something will turn up soon. I am amazed at how many things are so much easier than I thought they would be in my mind. I never thought I would be able to say the I have not had a soda for 7 weeks! I actually order the fish and not feel guilty for paying more for the fish than the junk stuff all over the rest of the menu. My girls are even starting to like the grilled fish also, which is the main reason I did this whole thing, so I can be here to help teach my girls how to eat right while they are little so they don't have to go through this when they get grown.

The last six weeks have gone by so quickly. I am feeling so much better and have healed wonderfully. I am getting some of my self confidence back and standing up to my family for a change. I have also been job hunting for the first time in ten years. It is nice to not feel like the elephant in the room while waiting with all the others to go in for a job interview. I am hopful that something will turn up soon. I am amazed at how many things are so much easier than I thought they would be in my mind. I never thought I would be able to say the I have not had a soda for 7 weeks! I actually order the fish and not feel guilty for paying more for the fish than the junk stuff all over the rest of the menu. My girls are even starting to like the grilled fish also, which is the main reason I did this whole thing, so I can be here to help teach my girls how to eat right while they are little so they don't have to go through this when they get grown. :thumbup:

I take the sugar free/ low fat in to consideration, but I look at the whole food label. If the low fat or sugar free has more sodium and carbs then I pick the regular one. I have also noticed that on some of the sugar free and low fat items the protien is cut somtimes by almost half. I go for the overall protien and sodium levels more than the sugar and fat. I also feel that all of the artifical crap in our food is why more and more people are having trouble with weight and becoming diabetic. Our bodies weren't made for all the chemicals that they use to make food tast like the real thing. just my opnion.

Like everyone has said "every one has a different experience" with their band. I did wonderful and am three weeks post-op. I'm not sure how much of a fill I will get in three weeks. My big thing is that I am not eating as much as I know I probably could. I am so scared of eating too much that I stop very quickly after I start eating. I have however been eating a little more every few days. I will agree that if you don't have a doctor close by for the "unforeseen emergency" it could be a problem. You also said that leaving and coming back was not a problem, however if you are in pain or have something that could affect your health, that is a long plane trip to begin with even if you are healthy. It is your choice when and where you have it done, but why not just have the doctor in Hong do the procedure from the beginning? There are several people who go out of the country to get their band put in place and do follow up with centers here in the states. Just a few things to think about. Have you read the complications section of this site? It did open my eyes to a lot of things I never even thought about before I had the band put in, however I was glad to know what "could go wrong if". Good Luck with your decision.

I had some crab salad the other day at Western Sizzlin and it was so good. Does anyone have a good recipe for a simple crab meat salad? Would love to have it if you do. Thanks,

I am thre weeks post op. I did really good and had very little pain. However I did take my pain meds for three days just to make sure I didn't have any pain. I did walk as much as possible when I woke up and that seemed to help alot. I didn't walk fast or far but I did move. My first walk was only two yards down the street and it took me about an hour. Good luck to you!!

I am doing great! I haven't had much pain at all, and have been taking a few walkes down the street. I have almost made it to the end of the block (4 houses). I did however get full this morning with 3 bites of Jell-o and I even found myself chewing it. :confused: Well, better go for this time out. Later,

I am doing great! I haven't had much pain at all, and have been taking a few walkes down the street. I have almost made it to the end of the block (4 houses). I did however get full this morning with 3 bites of Jell-o and I even found myself chewing it. :frown: Well, better go for this time out. Later,

Well, I might let another man pay for the surgery, the insurance company. Lord know we pay them enough over the years and if we can find a way to get them to fork over a little of it go for it. I plan on at least trying once I get under the 'overweight' limit. Thanks for the input Doc, glad you guys are watching our for us.

With the lack of periods with pcos you can have what they call break through bleeding. It is like the period from hell and makes up for all the missed ones at one time. I even ended up in the ER once because the break through was so bad they thought at first I was having a miscarriage until the counted and my hubby had been deployed to long for it to be that. Can we still take Midol? that was my only saving grace when I did get that time.

My surgeon does do a cath, I don't think they let you keep you panties, but do let them know when you get there or call the day before it never hurts to ask. All they can do is say no and tell you how to keep sanitary during the procedure even with the extra visitor. They don't want any other fluids to deal with either but you have to let them know.

I know it's not new, but I am getting a little more nervous as today went along. I finally called my friend from all my life and told her about the band. At first she was way do you need it, and after I mentioned a few things she seemed to understand. I had a good day with my girls and went to a movie and had some popcorn. I did buy the large bag and added the butter, but didn't even eat half of it, including the part that I kept giving to my girls. We had our good bye dinner before the month of liquid and new habits. I had a Steak Fajita and ate mainly just the meat. I guess I have been practicing for a little while and can't go too far from the modifications I have already started. I know I have a lot more changes to make, but I have been trying a few at a time before I even was approved. I have bought four water bottles, 3 small remikins for soup bowls, and 2 small salad plates for my meals. I figured if I got something different from the family and smaller than we have been using it would help me to remember that I have new rules to follow. I took the advice of some of the longer banded guys and bought a couple sets of infant flatware to help remember to take smaller bites. They are cute and colorful so they can be fun at the same time. I still haven't bought a scale for the house, not sure if I really want one or not. I have three new pair of shoes, two that slip on and one that has really good support. They all have a sneaker bottom on them so they are all good for walking. I need to find my pedometer and I should be set for the first few weeks. well gotta get of my bum and move. :thumbup: