JulieNYC

I don't have complete info for you, but I can help you with part of your question. I think by the "Inamed" band, you're referring to the 9.75 and 10 cm bands (that both hold 4 cc's of fluid). The reason your question could be modified is that the VG band is made by Inamed too. The VG band is 11 cm in length (thus larger than the other Inamed bands) and holds (I understand you don't care about how much they hold but someone might) about 11 cc's of Fluid. So, the largest of the Inamed bands is the VG. I have no idea how the VG compares in size to the Sweedish band. I also don't know if there's a difference in where the two bands are placed on the stomach -- that could impact your question too. Happy searching!

Congratulations. The band-gods will reward you for such sacrifice -- with an even smaller body and a higher self esteem. I need to make a couple of sacrifices myself. Thanks for the encouraging post!

I guess the first one, is how you felt after surgery, the 1st 48hrs of what to be aware of I had a great surgery experience. Not everyone feels as good as I did after surgery, but many do, so it's something to hope for! My surgery was at 7 a.m. I remember being worried about whether the surgical gowns would fit me (they did -- with room to spare). I remember the anesthesiologist telling me I would probably wake up in the recovery room -- that they only woke up larger patients in the actual OR, since a larger patient might need to assist him or herself in being moved from the OR table to the transport table. I remember thinking it was odd that the anesthesiologist didn't think I was a "larger" patient (I'm not quite 5'2 but I started at 358). I woke up in the recovery room and was immediately NAUSEATED. I remembered reading that if you tell them that, they'll give you a shot that will make it go away. I told them, they gave me the shot and it IMMEDIATELY took away the nausea. Ahh, relief. I wasn't in any real pain -- maybe a 3 on a scale of 1-10. I slept for about an hour, my Mom came in to bring me my glasses. They moved me up to a room and I immediately started walking around the ward, just as soon as they unhooked my bootie things that were squeezing my legs (to prevent blood clots from forming). I walked a lap every 20 minutes or so. At 2 p.m., I went to the bathroom (a pre-requisite to discharge) and asked to go home. At 2:30 I walked myself (wiht my Mom) to the exit, got in a cab and went home! I lived (at the time) on the 4th floor of a bldg with no elevator. I walked up slowly, but was totally fine. I took one pain pill, but it made me nauseated, so I moved to liquid tylenol, which kept the pain at a 1-2, which was better to me than having no pain and having the nausea. Day 1 post-op, I went for a walk, watched TV and slept. Day 2, I had some shoulder pain. I took some tylenol, put a heat patch on my shoulder and a heating pad on my stomach and took a nap. That afternoon, I felt so good and was so bored, that I went in to work for about 3 hours (desk job)! Day 2 post-op, I went for another walk, watched TV, was overall tired. Didn't go to work. Day 3 post-op, I felt fine. 70% normal. I went to work full-time, all day, on day 6. I didn't need any more time and wouldn't have taken it even if I could have -- I was bored. I will say, though, that it took me a full month to feel "like myself" again. I was fine for 10 hours or so at work, but I CRASHED hard every night. I probably slept 10-12 hours for that month post-op. Then I started to have my old stamina back. what support did you get in the first year from your hospital/Dr My surgeon had me come in 7 days post-op, then monthly for 12 months. I actually don't go monthly anymore at this juncture -- after about 6 months I started going every 6-8 weeks. My doctor's office is very supportive if I need them and I reach out to them, but they don't reach out to me unless I seek them first. I probably prefer it that way, but I remember being miffed that they didn't call to check on me in day 2-5. I felt like they should have called me after cutting on me. What if my Mom hadn't been there and I wasn't ok? I'm probably oversensitive. how many fills did you need to have in the first year My first fill was in week 7 (because the office was closed in week 6 when it's usually done by m,y practice). I am one of the few who gained weight during the pre-fill period. I found being pre-fill really hard. I'd just had surgery, yet wasn't losing weight! I knew -- logically -- that it was because I didn't have a fill yet, but I felt like a failure. I was soooo ready for that fill. Anyway, so I got my first fill on something like May 24th. I had 6.5 cc's in my VG band (it holds about 11) -- I'd had 4 cc's in there from surgery. Anyway, I was relieved that getting a fill was NO BIG DEAL at all. It hurt, for me, less than pulling an out-of-place eyebrow. I did liquids for 2 days and mushies for a day. Then DEVISTATION. I could still eat just as much as always. Bummer. So, I made an appt for my second fill the very next week (I'd read so much about what it was like to have restriction -- I wasn't going to wait months to get it). On May 31st they took me to 7.2 cc's. I did a day of liquids and a day of mushies. Crap. Still could eat ALMOST as much. (Keep in mind, I'm not advocating testing your band like I did -- the point is to see how little you can eat, not how much, but I was really in a bad place). Made a third appointment for the next week. So, ahhhh, June 7th came -- GLORY DAY! They took me to 10.0 and filled me while drinking Water (actually had the needle in while I drank and I told them when I could finally feel the water backing up, which was at 10.5, so then they backed a little out). 10.0 has been my sweet spot. I've lost 150 lbs at 10.0 and haven't needed a fill since. Yea! So, I've had 3 fills, but all in the span of 2 weeks (3 consecutive Wednesdays), so I really consider it one fill. I'm so thankful that my surgeon's office listens to me and doesn't make me fight for fills. did you have a support group that you could attend Yes. My surgeon's office runs a monthly support group that I go to about every other month. I find LBT to be my best source of support though. First, because I need more than monthly support. Second, because my in-person group is a little odd. It's a very large group (about 40 people show up each time) and is very dominated by 2 or 3 patients. I don't find that so useful. I go, when I go, to support the new people. The 2 or 3 patients who dominate the group don't have the best band experiences and I want to make sure the new people know there are people like me who the band really works for. Good luck to you all. I know you're going to do great.

Dawn, I'm so excited for you and your race!!! It's going to be a blast. I know you can get it to under 40 minutes. You're a star. You're not going to believe the rush you feel when you finish. It's amazing. I'm sorry to report that there's no way I'll meet the challenge this month. I'm a little sad about it, but I'm not letting the fact that there are only 3 days left in the month yet I owe 5 sessions bog me down. I had a fleeting thought that I wouldn't go to the gym until Thurs since I couldn't meet the challenge, but that's just crazy talk. I'll do the best I can do, which is 16/18 sessions. Given that I ran a race this month, moved apartments and went on vacation, AND it's a short month, I think I'm OK with the results and I look forward to meeting the challenge next month. Sound good?

You're going through the stage we all go through. Here's the thing to understand -- it's 99% in your control whether you can eat these things. Some people choose to stay less tight and take a slower road to goal, others want to maximize the speed of weight loss and may lose 1/3 of the things on your list. You're not likely giving up anything on this list forever, unless YOU choose to because YOU choose that quicker loss is better for you. I ate a wasa cracker with peanutbutter this morning for Breakfast. I eat cottge cheese and berries or grapes nearly every day. I eat cornbread and tortillas, but not much of them because they fill me up so quickly that I can't get in the things my body needs. I might eat 2 bites of cornbread when I'm eating chili, but I'd never eat more than 1/4 of a piece. If I ate a whole piece, I could do it, but it wouldn't leave room for the chili. I could eat a whole corn tortilla (one of the small ones) but I couldn't eat 6 like I did pre-band. You'll find the right balance. I remember thinking pre-band that I'd heard you couldn't eat cake ever again. I remember being so sad that I'd not be able to eat one bite of my own wedding cake, if I ever got married. Now I know, that's just not true. I can't eat a lot of cake, but I can totally eat a bite of my own wedding cake if I choose to. It's a balance.

Bl.uehill, We are all so thankful you are out of the hospital. We were worried about you! I'm sure your daughter is taking great care of you and your birthday will be here before you know it. Keep us posted on your recovery. Sara, Betty is right -- just start something and commit to it -- walking 3 times a week would be great. Or, if you're up for more, all the better. Dont kill yourself early on. This is about setting yourself a goal that you can keep attaining monthly for a lifetime. I know you'll do great.

I'm hooommmmmeeee. Ahhhh. Vacation is lovely, but nothing beats sleeping in your own bed. I can't wait. The scale tomorrow morning will be interesting. I didn't make ANY effort to eat the right things on vacation, though given that I have pretty good restriction, I don't think I did any major damage. I'm back on the pre-surgery hard-nosed diet as of tomorrow morning. Honestly, I'm looking forward to it. OK, I think I've turned a corner and am actually getting excited about my PS. Letting Dad really look at my stomach was emotionally difficult, but he is such a "surgeon" (I guess mby that I mean that the exam just felt very medical -- as if I were any other patient) that it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. He wants to think about the exact procedure for a few days, but his impression is that he'll do something inbetween a tummy tuck and a lower body lift, in addition to a normal breast lift (no implants). Basically, there's a version of a tummy tuck where they cut around your hips as well, to give the outer thighs a little lift, but without cutting all the way around 360 degrees. He thinks I need the extended tuck because of the weight I carried in my hips. I'm thrilled because I wanted a LBL, but he had told me he wouldn't consider it at this point -- that it was too big of a surgery for a patient that wasn't at goal. I didn't realize there was something in between. Best of all, he did a bunch of stomach muscle tests and he's certain I won't need the muscle work of a tummy tuck -- just the skin and fat removal. That's fabulous because it makes the surgery and recovery a lot easier and, thus, he's willing to do more skin removal. I had hoped that would be the case because I've been working out for so long and haven't had pregnancies, but I wasn't sure until he confirmed it. So, I'm set for March 28th. Woohoo!

Go Betty, Go Betty, It's your birthday, it's your birthday! OK, it's not your birthday, but ONE SEVENTY???? Geeze! You're melting into nothing! We have to look hard to see you! Wink. Way to go.

Hi Jim. We don't think you're dumb at all, just that you're a man, so you might not understand that a woman feels very feminine when she is able to cross her legs comfortably. It's one of life's little pleasures that is taken away from us when we get above a certain size....

They have ones now that operate off GPS and are extremely accurate. Check out the Garmin line, if the cost doesn't put you off too much.... http://www.garmin.com/products/forerunner201/

Oh my gosh, I can't believe what all I missed. Thank GOODNESS Kinsey is doing better, Kat. Wow, what a scare. To be so little and so sick. So frightening. Betty, do we have any news on Bluehill? Is she out of the hospital yet? I don't know anything about cellulitis. If you have an address for her that she's authorized you to give out, I'd love to send her a card if you'd PM it to me. I'm in St. Barts, which is a dream, but for the fact that I'm working too much. I did my PS "consult" with my Dad earlier today and boy was that not fun. I'll give you all an update later, once I've goten a little distance from it. It's going to be fine, it's just going to be a big, big surgery. Meanwhile, I've got a case (work) that I'm just not happy with. I'm going to sit by the pool and see if I can come up with any solutions that I haven't thought of to date.... Take care,

You will find different opinions on food measuring. I personally was a fan in my earlier banded days just for the reason you say -- 1/2 cup of Protein is probably enough and I know I won't be too full. Try it and see if you like it. You won't need to do it forever. Now I know exactly what 1/2 cup looks like. My best advice for you though is to force yourself to eat slowly. After about the 5th bite, really examine whether you need another bite. It's about finding that place where you're no longer hungry, but aren't necessarily full. If you stop at that place, a few minutes later you'll be full and you will feel perfect. If you eat past that place until you're full, a few minutes later you'll be too full. That's my experience, anyway! It took several months to master. You'll get there. No worries. Congrats on getting banded.

I declare this: Dawn's Day of Onederland Happiness abounds! Dawn, of course you cried. I just cried for you. You are amazing and what you've done is amazing. I can't wait to join you. Here are some dancing bananas, because you deserve them. :girl_hug: :girl_hug: Because we're kindred WLS spirits, would it be OK if I sent you a Onederland present? If so, PM me your mailing address.

:cheer2: :cheer2: :cheer2: Go Dawn, go Dawn -Go-Go-Go- Dawn!

Tax Day Challenge! (April 15th) Week Zero of Eight Name.............................Starting……..Current……..Goal……..To Go Juliegeraci.......................238............. ...... 238.................228.............10 Lapbandit.......................231............... .....231………….199.............32 Waterlily.........................300............. .......300.................264.............39 Roiansmom.....................299................. ...299.................270.............29 Libra...............................248........... .........248.................228.............20 JulieNYC........................212............... .....209.................185.............24 Elisabethsew....................282............... ......282.................264............18 PeaCeJ............................338......................338.................318............20

Sadly, Kat, my Mom won't be in St. Barts with me. My parents divorced when I was 3 and it's my Dad's family that's going to St. Barts. Don't worry though -- Mom comes to NYC about 6 times a year and already has a trip planned for May, so it's not too sad that she left early. Plus, I'll see her next month as she'll come help with my PS recovery. Betty, have a great time at the Splash. Would you give us some details when you get back? I'm not sure if a bash is something I'd like to do or not. Your experience might help me decide! Big hug to Alan. By the way, even with "youth," I'm not going to have a hard body. My thighs are a mess. I can't believe I can't have them fixed at the same time. Dad says breasts, tummy and thighs is too much at once. I go back and forth about the breasts versus the thighs. Both are important, as I learned trying on swimsuits last night. On a happier note, the scale moved this morning. YEA. Swim to the right, fishy-ticker-thing! Swim to the right!

Tax Day Challenge! (April 15th) Week Zero of Eight Name.............................Starting……..Curre nt……..Goal……..To Go Juliegeraci.......................238............. .......238.................228.............10 Lapbandit.......................231............... .....231………….199.............32 Waterlily.........................300............. .......300.................264.............39 Roiansmom.....................299................. ... 299.................270.............29 Libra...............................248........... ..........248..................228.............20 JulieNYC........................212.......................212.................185.............27

I got in 4 miles on the tread today -- not too shabby because I got in 4 miles yesterday too. I'm hoping to break into the 00's before I leave for St. Barts on Saturday, so I'm getting in as much exercise as possible. I was on the cusp of 211-212 this morning, so it could happen. Roberta, I'm feeling fine after my fall -- thanks for checking. I bruised something awful, but the pain is gone. I took 6 days off running to let my ankle heal and it's felt 100% the last 2 nights at the gym. Plus, I went to the doctor to have my PS bloodwork done and I don't have any Vitamin deficiencies, so the bruising must just be me being klutzy getting used to my new frame. Tracy, welcome to our thread! We hope you'll join us in an exercise challenge in a few months. Until then, let us know what we can do to help you in any way through the next couple of months until you get your band. You're going to love it.... Boo, I hadn't thought of getting a nice swimsuit. I borrowed several from my Mom (who has I'm not kidding 200 suits -- she lives at the beach and is very "hip" and "young" for a Mom, so I like her things) that will tide me over. If I see the perfect thing, I promise to buy it and not care that it won't fit for long....

I'm so excited for you, Adumont! You're going to do great and April will be here around the corner. My adivce for the next 6 weeks is to enjoy a few special meals, but don't fall prey to "last supper syndrome" and gain weight during this phase (which is common). It's not worth it. You WILL eat again. You'll have all your favorite things after banding as well. You are in control of your restriction level -- no one else, so don't fall into the "but I'll never eat pizza again, so I need to eat 6 slices now" trap. You sound like you're doing great, so I hope this won't be too much of a problem for you. I think all weight loss without a band is impressive, so don't slight your accomplishment of losing during this phase. It's a wonderful thing and you'll be that much closer to goal once you get good and started. Take care,

Name....................Current Weight......Valentine's Goal......To Go Juliegeraci................237.................... .10................Done! 5lbs Bonus Lapbandit.................231..................... 20..........................4 Libra....................... 248......................20....................... ...3 Indianlight................ 266......................20....................... ...7 JulieNYC.................. 215.....................212...................... ....-3 Elisabethsew............ 282 (-12)..............282..........................0 Did we decide on the next challenge being by "tax day" in the US (April 15th, for the non-US folk)? I'm having PS on March 28th, so I may set my goal a little earlier than the rest -- I have no idea how much they'll take off in surgery and (on the contrary) how much swelling I'll have, so it's hard for me to make an April 15th goal, but these things keep me going, so I'm all in!

Hi April 2007 Bandsters! I'm another April 2006 bandster. Some of us were talking over on our exercise thread and we thought we'd like to formally offer our support to the April 2007 crowd. Whatever questions you have, bring them on! We'd like to be here for the April 2007 crowd, through the insurance issues, pre-surgery jitters, early days of quick weight loss, and long-term successes and challenges. We have found that having a smaller support group within the larger forum of LBT has been a very effective tool for us in terms of integrating with our banded life and losing weight. So, let us know if we can do anything for you, and please feel free to peruse the April 2006 threads (running weight loss and monthly exercise challenge) to get an idea of life next year....Feel free to PM me as well if you have quesions you don't want to address publicly. Take care,

I was a successful dieter pre-band too, but I could never keep it off. I'd lost 100 lbs once and 60 lbs 3 or 4 times. My real, true advice for you is why struggle to lose weight without the band "one last time"? Why put your metabolism and your body through another cycle of loss and re-gain? Get the band now and save your health to the best of your ability. I had a hard time getting over the concept of potential other surgeries as well, which is what I think you're struggling with, in terms of the likelihood that there will be a better device in the future. Here's what I came to realize. The band doesn't have to be permanent. If the medical community isolates a fat gene, creates a pill, or otherwise truly cures obesity in my lifetime, I can have my band removed in favor of the better procedure. Band surgery, as significant as it is, is minimally invasive. My surgery was 17 minues. I was home in 4 hours. I'm not saying don't take it seriously, but I am saying don't let the hope of a better procedure YEARS down the road keep you from having the wonderful tool that's available to you today. If I needed to get from NYC to DC and I had a car (the band), I'd take the car -- I wouldn't walk (diet & exercise) just because I thought, in a few years, I might have access to a plane (new-fangled future procedure). Good luck to you and all any of us want for you is happiness and heath on whatever road you choose. Take care,

Does the "full" or satiation sensation happen now if it didn't before? Or is it just that distended-gut-holy-crap-I-ate-a-lot feeling happening more quickly? It took me several months to sort out what I was feeling, but now I'm good at stopping (usually, at least) when I'm comfortably full instead of when I'm holy-crap full. At first, I ate until I was holy-crap full because I didn't realize how LITTLE 1 cup of food is compared to pre-band and so I ate right past my "comfortably full" stage. You'll get the hang of it. Is stomach hunger less intense or more manageable after the band? 8,000 times more manageable. I'm rarely truly hungry. When I am, I eat, then I'm full for 5 hours. It's great. I never, ever fight that constant pre-band hunger. I just don't have that thing in my head anymore that says "eat the other half of that [iNSERT FOOD HERE] that you know is in the fridge/pantry, etc." It's just not there. I mean, how much to you guys eat in a meal? I'm having trouble imagining what portions sizes look like on the band... Would one of those little McDonalds Cheeseburgers be a big (if unhealthy) portion size? One little McD's cheeseburger and maybe 10 fries (not even half of a small fry -- literally 10!). That would be a big meal. I think you understand that the choice is questionable, but yeah, that's about the size. My days of 6 cheeseburgers (or, in my case, bean burritos) are over. Occasionally I still think "I can't possibly get full on one bean burrito, I'll order 3" but even when I do that, I wind up laughing and throwing 2 1/2 of them away. The band works for portion control. Did your tastes change drastically as the weight came off? Not so dramatically. I want to eat healthier because I want to lose weight faster. But, I'd still LIKE to eat take out Mexican or pizza every night -- I just have an easier time NOT doing that with the band. I'd still like to though. I analogize to a piano. My "you must eat Mexican food" was playing with the amplifier pedal depressed every single day. Now it occasionally still plays, but with the damper pedal pressed. It's easier to make a different choice, even if the desire for the not-so-healthy choice is still there.

Well, I'm moved. It was a mess, but it's DONE! I'll post a couple of pictures once I get things straightened out a bit more. My Mom came up from Atlanta to help and I couldn't have done it without her. She went home yesterday -- a couple of days early because of the snow we were expecting (and got) in NYC last night. It's supposed to last for a while and I hope it doesn't get in the way of my flight to St. Barts on Saturday, where I'm going for a week's vacation with my family. Can't wait! I met with my band surgeon yesterday. I asked him about PS for me and he was completely on board, even though I'm not "at goal." It kind of seemed like he even preferred for me to go ahead now rather than in 40+ more lbs. He said I'll just feel so much better without the weight of my stomach. His advice was have it done now and not even wait until April! I'm sticking with my timing, but that did make me feel a lot better, in that I don't think I'm stretching as much as I thought to fit in PS and starting my new job in May. Speaking of, yes, I took the new job. It's going to be a lot of work, but it's such an incredible move for my career (and my pocketbook). Boo, I'm so excited to hear that you're making a career move (up the ladder) too! That's awesome and I hope you'll share more about it, if you can find a way to and maintain your confidentiality (I totally get that). Speaking of work, I guess I'd better get to it.

Bluehill, that's just terrible. I have a feeling you're going to bounce back quickly though. Don't worry a bit about the exercise -- take care of your more pressing health issue for now and once you're healed, you can create a mini-challenge for yourself for the end of the month, if you're feeling up to it. Keep us posted on the infection. That's nothing to mess with.