NoPBJ

Well..it's been 7 months since my surgery and I have lost NO POUNDS! Nothing, nada. I was banded on june 30th, 2008 in Buffalo, ny. Now, let me say this before I start, I do NOT excercise, or very little anyway. Go ahead and judge me if you want, but I lack energy all the time. I have trouble sleeping (not related to lapband) and am drained all the time. Now that I have said that, I should still be losing. I am filled almost 6 cc's on a 10 cc band. I can barely get stuff down and PB all the time. I am eating 30% of what I used to eat..so why am I not losing SOMETHING? Here is what NOBODY tells you before you have th surgery and I feel a little lied to. Haven't we all been told that we will eat normally but just "feel full faster"?? Well, that's what I was told over and over and over again. THAT's A LIE! You DON"T feel full...you feel like something is stuck in your chest and that's how you lose weight! You're supposed to walk away from the table with the "stuck" feeling and work through it for the next couple hours until you can eat again. My last visit for a fill, the NP actually told that to me. It all made sense b/c I either drink a tbsp of liquid to get it "unstuck" or it ends up coming up on it's own, and then I can eat. If I wait until I'm "full" i can eat way too much. If I could go back and reverse this I would b/c that's not what I signed up for. That stuck feeling makes me feel anxious and like I can't breathe... Anyone else understand this? And please, no haters...thanks

EXCELLENT POST!! You all have encouraged me to not give up! I am tracking my food on daily plate and have not gone over my allotted calories for a couple of days. They told me that i should lose 3 pounds a week by doing this, so I am giving it a shot. If this works I will decrease my calories even more. I am also taking advice and thinking again about my chewing. I did schedule a dr. appt for 2-12 to discuss all of this..

If it makes no difference to you, than please move on to another thread, b/c you are not speaking to me at all. To be truthful you sound like an overweight person who has lost a little weight and now has become the "resident expert". That's not what I am looking for. And I don't think you are ACTUALLY reading my posts b/c you wouldn't be saying half the stuff you are. IF YOU READ my posts you would not keep saying what you are... so thanks, but no thanks. Now I am sure you will reply with some more of your "knowledge" but I asked for support not what you think you know...

YES!!! Thank you!! A GREAT POST! THIS post is encouraging and genuine. Like I keep saying, I know that it PROBABLY is ME, but not in the way that the haters keep saying. FOR ME, I cannot take the stuck feeling. I get anxiety ridden and start to panic....and in MY OPINION, this is what they want. They want a level of UNCOMFORTABILITY so that you walk away from eating. Most people are ok with this, I am not. SO i guess it is my fault in that way, HOWEVER, let me REITERATE AGAIN that this is not what most people are told. We were told that you'd eat just about everything but feel full faster. That's what I take issue with. THANK you to all the encouragers! I have once again started tracking my food intake on thedailyplate.com and am hoping to be reinspired!

no you can't....they will only reverse it (and insurance cover it) if there is a medical reason for it. yes, I could get a complete unfill, but I am hoping to get this working.

And I mean this the nicest way possible, but you really just got your band and things are still new. i initially lost 13 lbs too on the liquid diet... and i don't think it's my fault, I think I wasn't told the whole story. Like I said before, this is MY story and not everyone has the same experience, not everyone's body reacts the same way. For instance, don't we all know at least one person who seems to be able to eat whatever they want and never gain weight? It's their body make-up and that's how their body responds.

Thanks for this! And I will try this! You guys don't know how badly i WANT to be at fault. I want to fgure out if it is me and something I am doing wrong. I just can't imagine that I am not losing anything.

crzytchr I can see why you would say these things, b/c I myself am annoyed by lazy people who make excuses...and there are PLENTY of them in the world. I don't expect you to take what I am saying as truth b/c you don't know me, but let me tell you this to maybe get you to understand... I lost 125 lbs about 4 years ago as I prpepared for my wedding. I was a friggin gym rat. I would be there for hours pushing and pushing.... I don't think i ate right b/c really I was on a diet of cereal most of the time, but it all worked well enough for me to lose wight and get down to 175 lbs. On my 5'9" frame it looked pretty good. So...anyway, I know what it means to get off my ass and work, b/c I did it. Aftera few babies and this sleep thing, I knew that I'd never have the energy to devote 2-3 hours a day to the gym. So, i figured that the band would HELP me. I knew my exercise wouldn't change that much, but I fugured it must help a little. What the band has done for me is to not allow me to gain, and for that I guess I am grateful, b'c I probably would've been. After the 125 lbs weight loss, I have gotten to know my body and even AFTER WLS I can't lose weight without it. We are not all cookie cutter people, what applies to one does not apply to all. This is MY story...

thank you all for replying and being kind! It took me a long time to REMEMBER that I had to chew my food, so for the first while I would forget to chew and things would get stuck. I can't really get chicken down to well. That gets stuck almost always. But now I usually remember that I have to take my time and chew. I am always in shock to hear someone say they have never pb'd. this is a common occurrance for me and don't understand how some don't ever have it happen? hmm What do you mean by "eating around the band"? like cheating? I am just so thrown by the NP saying that I SHOULD feel that stuck feeling. Do you all feel that as your "full" feeling? Also, how much do you all drink if any with your meals?

Hi Everyone! This is my very first post! I am receiving a band in 2/2 weeks by Dr. Forbes. I have started this process last september and it is finally nearing surgery date! I am wondering what other experiences people have had with this doctor and Buffalo General. I have gotten such a run around from Malissa and the people there, it's actually ridiculous! I have complied WITH all requirements, but getting people to communicate with me AND EVEN CALL ME BACK is actually a little scary. It makes me wonder if I will be left out to dry post -op. Let me know PLEASE!

Judy...who was your doc again? Let us know how your app. goes!

I was banded on june 30th in Buffalo. ny and have been feeling pretty ok. Today I awoke with a tightness and discomfort that goes all the way around my midsection to my back. I notice it especially when I take a deep breath. It's ALMOST painful, but not quite there yet. I am concerned and freaking out. I was wondering if it was gas, but it doesn't feel anything like my previous bouts with gas. That was more like a sharp pain or jab...anyone else experience this? SHould I call my doc?

OMG! Yes! When I yawn too! I have a call into the doctor, so I'll let you know when I hear!

how far into your weight loss did your gall stones show up?

will do.....it's starting to make me claustrophobic b/c I can't get a deep enough breath!

linda...do you have a date yet?

i get the same thing...unfortunately, it's probably gas pains!

Hi everyone....I recevied the band this past monday at Buffalo General in Buffalo and it was literally the WORST day of my life. I felt like I was in a nightmare and couldn't get out! I am posting this b/c people need to know that it's not all a big bowl of cherries like many people make it out to be! I was wretching and heaving and sick out of my mind. At one point I told my husband I was ready to jump out the window b/c I could get no relief from this sickness and heaving. No medicine seemed to work and the anestetic made me SOOOOOO sick. I never had an adverse reaction to anestetic before, I just believe they gave me TOO much! I was supposed to be in the recovery room for 1-2 hours and they could still not wake me up after 5. I was throwing up, BEGGING for someone to help me and this is what I heard from one of the nurses "Oh, I heard her talking before she went into surgery how she was prone to motion sickness, I think she just talked herself into being sick. There's nothing worng with her!" CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??????? SHe had the NERVE to say this while i was actively throwing up!!! Hello!! I was so out of it though I couldn't even open my eyes to see who it was. It has been 3 days since the band and the good news is that it hasn't been as bad. I have gotten a little better each day. If I could go back, I definately would not do it again. Maybe I will feel differently in a few weeks. My experience was so awful that I can't even imagine going through one minute of discomfort for a fill. I am considering not even getting a fill. THanks for letting me vent here!

No..I never got a shot. I did have a patch behind my ear and they gave me Reglan (sp?) for nausea, but no matter what, the room just kept spinning and I kept heaving. I'm just so nervous about the fills now. I hear so many people talk about bad fills with lots of poking and prodding with VERY long needles! Don't know if I can do it!

Can you describe to me what your "rough days" are like? What do you mean by this? Also, how many fils have you had? thanks!

SO helpful! I think I got it!!!

thanks! I appreciate the kind words. Encouragement is always good and helpful! Can I ask you an unrelated question? How do you get the tickers at the bottem of EVERY post to you have to constantly cut and paste with every post?

Hey all...got banded on monday and let me tell you, it was not a fun ride. I posted another thread explaining my horrifying experience. Thank the Lord I have a very supportive husband and a God whom I can turn to. On a seperate note...can someone tell me how these tickers work? Do i have to paste the url into every post? Not sure how these suckers work! thanks!

Hi everyone....I recevied the band this past monday at Buffalo General in Buffalo and it was literally the WORST day of my life. I felt like I was in a nightmare and couldn't get out! I am posting this b/c people need to know that it's not all a big bowl of cherries like many people make it out to be! I was wretching and heaving and sick out of my mind. At one point I told my husband I was ready to jump out the window b/c I could get no relief from this sickness and heaving. No medicine seemed to work and the anestetic made me SOOOOOO sick. I never had an adverse reaction to anestetic before, I just believe they gave me TOO much! I was supposed to be in the recovery room for 1-2 hours and they could still not wake me up after 5. I was throwing up, BEGGING for someone to help me and this is what I heard from one of the nurses "Oh, I heard her talking before she went into surgery how she was prone to motion sickness, I think she just talked herself into being sick. There's nothing worng with her!" CAN YOU BELIEVE IT??????? SHe had the NERVE to say this while i was actively throwing up!!! Hello!! I was so out of it though I couldn't even open my eyes to see who it was. It has been 3 days since the band and the good news is that it hasn't been as bad. I have gotten a little better each day. If I could go back, I definately would not do it again. Maybe I will feel differently in a few weeks. My experience was so awful that I can't even imagine going through one minute of discomfort for a fill. I am considering not even getting a fill. THanks for letting me vent here!

I have no idea what size my band is. I didn't even know that they came in different sizes! how do i find out?