JulieNYC

I knew I wanted the band when I chose my PCP, so I actually called her and talked to her before coming in for my physical. On the phone, she confirmed she wasn't anti-WLS globally but that she would have to see me before telling me whether she supported my candidacy. Fair enough. So I went to see her and she was GREAT. Very understanding that obesity is a disease and that I'd already tried and failed at traditional diets. She wrote a great letter and my surgery was approved in 4 days. I'm her first lap band patient and despite our new Dr. patient relationship, she even called to check on me the day after my surgery. For me, pre-band in my research phase, I was far more scared of the physical than the surgery itself. She really eased my fears and I just think she's the best!

1. how long have you been banded? 2 months 2. rate your level of restriction: E. Sweet Spot!!! (perfect restriction) 3. how long after you wake do you drink your first liquids, are they hot or cold: Cold. 1 hour after waking, sometimes earlier. 4. how long after you wake do you eat your first food, is it solid or mushy? I'm not a breakfast eater. It's usually lunch by the time I eat, but I've had 4-6 glasses of Water by then, which keeps me satisfied. So, 5 hours. if it is mushy, when is your first dense protien solid? Lunch. 5. does your restriction change throughout the day? No. (BTW, I think this is because I have the VG band. Many VG bandsters don't notice the morning/evening thing). 6. how often do you PB? I've pb'd once. 7. is it mostly Slime/Saliva or is it the offending food or liquid that comes up? Offending food. 8. why are you PB'ing? f. i am eating beyond the pouch capacity (not in overall quantity but in speed)

Tell her you understand that she can't (thankfully for her) fully grasp what you go through fighting with your weight and tell her you just need her to support this decision that you've already made for yourself. Tell her it's not failure -- neither yours or hers -- to get the band. Less than 5% of people that lost 50+ pounds keep it off without surgery. You know this -- you've tried many times, as we all have. If we take our emotions out of it, the only logical choice is to get banded. She doesn't want you to fight for the rest of your life. She clearly loves you so much. Hopefully, she can see the logic in your choice and if she can't, hopefully she can accept your decision with the understanding that you know better than she does on this one, and simply support your decision that is already made.

Jenn, how was your fill? I can't wait to hear about it. Mine is GREAT. Just right. I'm freakin' GoldiLocks right now it's so right! Your weightloss is AMAZING for no fill! Any tips you can share? Take care,

My doc left 4 cc's in my band at surgery. I got my first fill at 7 weeks, which brought me to 6.2. I felt NOTHING, but as my doc has an open-door fill policy, I went back a week later. They took me to 7.6. Still nothing. So I went back a week later (depressed and thinking I might have a complication) and they filled me WHILE I was drinking Water. Now I'm at 10.0 and it's PERFECT. Probably still a tiny bit loose, but my hunger is under control, my quantities only slightly larger than the recommended portion, I have to eat slowly, liquids go down very easily, and I don't PB at all. The fill nurse said I had a petite stomach, which made me smile. At least something is petite! I've known people who were at their sweet spot with 5 cc's all the way to 14 cc's. It's too mig of a swing to say where yours will be without a little trial and error. My advice is don't worry so much about specifically getting an "aggressive" fill, but be very diligent about going back until your fill level is right. There is only one good fill level -- the right one. Good luck!

You're getting banded to live a long, healthy life. Dieting after getting the band will be SO much easier. You will still have to work at it, but it'll be attainable, rewarding work. Your fears are normal but just do what you can to press on through it and come out on the other side. You're going to do great!

I'm with you in your point that we can make ourselves more miserable by hoping bad things for others, Tired Old Man, but I have to share my opinion that "turning the other cheek" does not always serve me (or the person who has wronged me) best. For me, and probably for many people, if I don't stand up for myself, I feel worse about myself. So, if someone attacks me, I will not absorb the attack without letting that person know the consequences of their actions. I do not wish them misery, but I respect myself more if I let them know their actions have effects. I guess there are two ways to skin a cat and everyone has to decide for themselves what they can best live with.

- My grocery bill is 1/3 of what it used to be. - I no longer start sweating after walking 1 block. - I was confident enough to get a great new haircut instead of waiting 8 months between cuts because I didn't want to look at myself in the mirror for an hour. - I don't HATE the gym anymore. - I sleep through the night and wake up with no pain in my legs and feet. - I look forward to tomorrow knowing I'm on the right path.

It took getting my third fill and TEN cc's in my VG band before I even felt like I had a band! Now I'm on the losing path. Hang in there. I hesitate to tell you what I thought, but in case it helps on any level, I will. When I finally got restriction, I realized it was like the first time you have an orgasm. You may have thought you had it before, but once you've really had it, there's no doubt. If you're still questioning if you've got appropriate restriction, you don't have it yet. Good luck and consider another fill.

Do NOT allow yourself to think negative thoughts about the band until you've had several fills. It took me to fill #3 to even feel like I had a band. You have to know that going in so that your brain can fight your heart when you're feeling let down in the early days. This is the time for healing, not for weightloss. If it fits with your Dr's instructions, try pureed cottage cheese and marinera sauce (equal parts of each). YUM and filling. Good luck! You'll be on the losing side in no time.

I don't know how you didn't deck him, Cloe. Someone on the street oinked at me once. What had happened didn't really click until it was too late to figure out who it was (it was in midtown Manhattan on lunch hour), but if it ever happened again, I'd deck them. Self defense of the soul.

Hi 30 somethings. I'm Julie, from Alabama but living in Yankee-land (NYC), as my family calls it. I'm a lawyer, single (except for a recurring relationship that springs anew every few months), 33 years old, no children (yet). I was banded in April by Dr. Fielding at NYU. I'm down 33 lbs to date and glad to finally have what I hope will be a good fill. I get to the gym pretty often and meet with a trainer a couple of times a week to make sure I go. My pre-band downfalls were ordering food instead of preparing healthy things. Mexican food is the enimy! Lastly, I'm vegetarian, if anyone is interested in sharing veggie ideas, particularly getting in enough Protein.

My experience was great. I asked for an early surgery so I'd have the choice of going home if everything went well. I checked in, put on the gown and socks the hospital provided (I worried beforehand that the gown would be too small, but it was plenty big), met with the anesthetist, who started my IV. The "worst" part was that the nurse took my eyeglasses before I was allowed to walk to the OR, so she had to lead me into the room. I can't really describe what it looked like because I'm blind as a bat. I remember the anesthetist saying in a minute he was going to count backwards, but I was out before he started counting. I woke up in recovery and the nausia was worse than the pain, so they gave me nausia meds that took effect immediately, making me much more comfy. Got my glasses back in recovery, where I stayed for about 2 hours due to the nausia. Surgery was at 8, I was in my room by about 11. Ice chips are great! I walked as soon as they'd let me and walked every half hour until they discharged me at about 3. I slowly walked up the 4 flights of stairs to my apartment and took to my recliner for the night. I took a pain pill but it made me nausiated and I wasn't really in pain, so I switched to liquid tylenol the next time. Night #2, I was able to sleep on my stomach flat in my bed. Day 3, I went to work because I was bored and tired of TV!

Well, I had fill #3 today and it was great! I was very vocal about how I didn't feel anything, even though I already had 7.6 in my VG band, so they took a more aggressive fill approach. They put the needle in while I was standing, and had me drink Water slowly while filling me until I could tell the water wasn't draining very fast. Then they backed out just a little so I wouldn't be too tight. So, I left with 10.0 in my band. I'm going to strictly follow the liquids and mushies that my doc recommends for 4 days, particularly given how aggressive the fill was. Even if I'm too tight (not that I think I am, just in the hypothetical), I'm glad to feel SOMETHING. Yea!

Hello April group. Sounds like many of us are in the same boat -- i.e. banded and glad about it but looking for that ever elusive "sweet spot." I'm going for fill #3 tomorrow. I'm just not there, restriction wise. I'm full for longer, but still able to eat large quantities. Trying to focus on eating just enough to not be hungry, but then I get hungry faster. Wish I could snap my fingers and be at perfect restriction. I'll let you know how fill #3 goes. Take care,

Congratulations MYCHEVYGIRL!! You rock the house! Way to go and keep it up again this month! Woohoo! :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2: :clap2:

[withdrawn, but I'll be back next month!] _________________________________

Marcy, Wanna race to Twoterville? It might help us both get there a little quicker and I'm giving you a 7 lb head start! Wink,

I had exactly the same thing! I thought it was a delayed reaction to having been off my anti-depressants for 4 days post-op, but when I mentioned it in passing to my doc, he said it's a common side effect of anesthesia. Go figure. I wish I'd have known because I wouldn't have worried about it so much. I went in for my second fill today. Looking forward to testing it out and seeing if I have some restriction this time. If not, they will just have to give me a third next week! Good luck to you all,

Yes, I'm totally back to normal. I had a very easy recovery. I took a week off work but went back to work 1/2 days on post-op day 3 because I was so bored and felt perfectly well enough to sit at a desk. I got tired more easily for about 3 weeks. After about a month, I had no residual pain at all, no matter how I stretched or slept or lifted, etc. You'll be healed in no time! The hardest part is the infamous "Bandster Hell." I gained back 7 of the lbs I'd lost waiting on my first fill, but I quickly lost those and more. Good luck!

I chew a sugar free gum with a STRONG flavor that I don't necessarily love -- for me, it's spearmint. Kind of turns me off food if the taste is overpowering enough. Also, I eat a fair amount of ice pops. Flavo-r-Ice makes one with Splenda that only has 2.5 cals! You could eat those all day if you wanted to, not that that is the goal....

I make a yummy green curry tofu. Cubed tofu, fried in Pam until as much of the water is out as you like. Take tofu off heat. Pam fry snap peas, carrots and water chestnuts on high heat. Add in 2T green curry sauce (and brand you like). Stirfry for about 5 min then add back in the tofu. My recipe has about 275 cals per serving and I usually can't eat it all.

Actually, Inamed makes 3 sizes. There is a 9.75 cm that holds around 4 cc's, a 10 cm that also holds around 4 cc, and the 11 cm Vanguard that holds around 11 ccs. I agree with you that the Vanguard can be a better band (it has a pillow design in the area that holds the saline that some say allows for more textures to pass through), but my surgeon says that it's really about stomach size. You need the band that is right for your stomach and that often isn't known until they're performing the procedure. I'm so glad your slip was safely and quickly fixed! Welcome to Bandlandia.

I have only told three close friends and (reluctantly) my parents. I wasn't keen on telling my dad because he's a plastic surgeon and, by my perception, has always been among the most judgmental people in my life about my weight. I told him because despite our issues about my weight, we have a good relationship and though this was a very low risk surgery, it's still surgery. It would have hurt me a lot if he'd had surgery and didn't tell me, so I told him. I haven't told my colleagues (except for two close friends), which is a little weird because we're all very close. I just wanted a little time to myself with this to get to know it without having to educate the world. It's so the right choice for me. I'm sure I'll be more open about it when my success starts showing, but for the moment, it feels very personal to me and I'm glad to keep it quiet.

I'm so glad to have this thread. I can share this with you guys and know you'll understand! Today the scale registered 329. This was somewhat of a memorable SV for me as it occurred to me that most scales would now weigh me. Most home scales only weigh to 330. Before I bought my obesity scale that weighs to 440, all I got was an error message. Alas, no more! 2 more lbs and my BMI willl leave the 60s for good. Then 27 lbs from there to Twoterville. If only I could snap my fingers! Take care and Happy Memorial Day.