Sofia Bell

good luck to you, too! OH...and by the way, I forgot the PIN number to my wieght tracker so I cannot update it. But i'm at goal....really!

Hi! Can't believe it's almost 3 years since we were banded. I've met my initial goal of 117 lbs. But, of course, I want to lose more. I'm pretty happy and have no regrets. Although there are times that I get the feeling that I'm over filled. Sometimes the couging can keep me up at night......but......it's the price I pay!

I am at my "sweet spot" and i take a pretty good size vitamin daily without problems. i do have to make sure i have eaten anything recently and drink water with it to make sure it goes down easily. No problems!

Good luck and be careful. Lettuce is not my friend! I've tried to shred the lettuce and chew it up really good. it always comes up....sometimes even 2 hours later. Sorry to disgust you!

Question: You say you were dirnking soft drinks often, but how is that? Didn't it hurt going down? Did you burp often? I'll admit to having a diet soft drink every now and then; i let it go a little flat and then water it down with ice. But even then, it doesn't seem worth it after all the chest discomfort and burping. It sounds to me like your doctor has been through this and has a plan to "fix" it through diet restrictions. Good luck and please keep us updated!

Funny, but wait until you actually have the surgery! Those you told will turn into pros all of a sudden monitoring everything you eat or don't eat and watching your weight loss for you! A friend of mine had surgery 1 month prior to me and she told everyone. I told very few people. So sad how we are treated so differently. I literally watch people watch my friend eat and they judge her for "cheating" or not following the band life. I tell people that i've been really stressed and just don't eat anymore. They leave me alone! Good luck to you!

Hi, i was banded on a Friday and at work on Monday. I'm the GM of a private engineers club and my biggest issue was the pain from the gas in my back and shoulders. It helped being around my friends instead of dwelling on the pain by myself at home. i haven't missed a day since. You should be fine. Good luck!

THat is so good! I just had my 4th fill on Friday the 3rd and I hear you about the water. Now I understand when they say, "don't gulp your water". I've lost 3 lbs since my fill on Friday (can't update my ticker because i forgot my password) I hope this feeling lasts for a long time!

My second fill went much better than my first. I have about 4.86 cc in a 10 cc band. I did a full day yesterday of clear liquids, full day today of "full" liquids, and back to regular food tomorrow, but taking it slow. They said this fill should last much longer and feel really good. Did anyone stop at just 2 fills? I haven't lost any weight in the last 2 weeks. I'm so ready for this thing to take off. When do the hunger pains go away? These liquid days get me feeling really weak during the day.

I hate that you ladies are going through this, but glad you are talking about it. I"m having the same issues. I couldn't keep anything down for 3 days. I was banded on June 13th and had 1 fill on July 16. I don't think that my band is too tight because food doesn't even get that far. I feel it in my throat and chest. A few bites and it's all up. Nothing was working. Today after 2 hours, I finally got 1 scrambled egg to go down. It hurt, but I made it stay in. My family and friends are getting worried since I hadn't had anything stay in since Saturday afternoon when I ate half of a hamburger patty. I was thinking that it could be stress, too. I'm glad to hear that someone else thinks that could be it, too. I'm due for another fill next week. If I'm still having this problem, I'll tell my doctor then.

I had my first fill on July 16th. I think I was told I had 3 cc already in and she added another .8cc. Does that sound right. Not very much. However, my restriction is awesome! They said that restriction would only last a few days and that I would be back to normal eating soon. It's been 3 days and I'm still feeling the fabulous restriction. It seems docotors are very different on the fill guidelines. After my fill I was told liquids for the rest of that day, soft foods the second day and then normal foods after that. I'm scheduled for another fill in 2 1/2 weeks. For those of you Jazzy Junes that are around the 40 lb weight loss, what's your excersize regimen like? I haven't done anything but I'm thinking that's why I've only lost 23 lbs. Although I'm not complaining, I love what I've lost. I'd still like to increase the loss if I can.

Nikki Thank you for your advice. I will try to learn the band way. I guess I should be pretty happy that I've lost 15 lbs in 1 month. I also need to learn patience! When were you banded? It looks like your weight is coming off!

Nikki That's exactly what I meant, I am starting to eat when I'm not full as opoosed to when I'm hungry. I don't want to fall into my old habits. Coming to this site helps me, but I really need to get more control. What can I do to help while I wait for my fills?

I'm glad that question was asked! I'm 6 days post op and really wondering when I'm going to get "started". It feels like I can still eat anything. What I find myself doing (I'm in the soft food stage) is eating until I'm full, which isn't much, and then waiting until that full feeling is gone before I begin looking for a little snack or something. I started getting real hunger pains and growling about 2 days ago. Will that go away? I don't know when I'm getting my first fill. I'm seeing my surgeon next Thursday. I hope something changes soon.

I was banded on the 13th and today I went to work a full work day. I was a little weak at first, had some broth 2 times while at work and was ok. I rested as soon as I got home and used my heating pad because of the pain in my shoulder. I"m feeling good and ready to eat my mushies on day 5!

Well, I did it. I was one of the lucky ones yesterday (Friday the 13th!) I chose to come home and be more comfortable in my bed. It worked for me. Everthing went well. I'm having problems with the gas. For those of you using the Gas X strips, how many do you use at one time? I cannot burp. Heating pads are helping my upper back and chest. How long does all this last? Oh, I also cheated a little on my pre-op diet and everything was fine. Matter of fact I lost 2 more pounds (how do I update my ticker?) and my blood pressure was 114/65! I plan on going to work on Monday. Will I feel better then? So Glad I have y'all to chat with!! Thanks for your support!

I'm self pay and included in my hospital fee is the opportunity to stay overnight at the hospital. Does anyone recommend this or should I just go home if everything is ok? I've asked my husband and he is willing to bring me home and care for me that evening. I'm scheduled for my band this Friday the 13th (not worried at all about the date!) I appreciate your comments!

I certainly appreciate all the great comments on my decision to stay overnight. I never thought about the IV fluids. That alone is a big advantage to having to sip once every 15 mins. Since my son is almost 14 yrs old and I'm only 3 miles from the hospital, I'm sure I will stay the night. I think we will all sleep better knowing I'm in great hands. Thanks!!

I cannot get my ticker tracker to work. Help! I cut and paste into my signature and I get an "invalid" code.

I'm gettng banded on June 13th in Houston. I would love to keep in touch with all of you to track my recovery.

I too had tram flap reconstructive surgery about 10 years ago. My surgery date is set for June 12th. My surgeon only questioned the plastic mesh that was placed under the skin to prevent hernias. I'm getting him my plastic surgeons records of the procedure and we are good! He said that kind of procedure is all just under the surface and not a problem. Good luck!