food expert

It took me a very long month before I could sleep on my stomach or side and even now (3 months post - op) I still have some discomfort sometimes.

My weight was decided when I met with the shrink. She ask me what I wanted to weight, I said I didn't know. How about 175? She pulled out the BMI chart and said I would still be overweight, how about 160? I thought, wow, that just seems crazy but OK. It's the high end of the BMI to not be overweight, but I've got big boobs and large bone structure. It might be too hard to achieve, but I'm gonna try!!! I think my body will tell me when we are done...

I just hit two major milestones but I am too embarrassed to tell my husband and parents (who are the only ones who know about my band). So here goes, I am now under 100 kilos and I have lost 50 pounds. Yes that is strange to use both Metric and English but I am an American living aboad so I do use both. I have never verbally told my husband my weight, although he has asked many times. He did say to me once that he knew what I weighed, and he probably did because he saw my physical for moving abroad. I like to live in denial because we weighed about the same and he is a big tall guy. Needless to say, he has gained a few pounds since I got banded so I am now substaintially smaller than him!!! When I hit onederland I might have to break down and tell DH, but I still don't think I could tell my parents. My Mom weighs around 200 and is trying to get banded so I don't think she will be all that impressed when I get to that mark. It still all feels surreal that I got banded and have been losing weight....:thumbup:now I can't wait to return to the US for the holidays and see my in-laws!!!

I was banded on July 17th and I have not had a fill yet. I travel extensively (like 10 countries since I was banded) and I simply haven't had time to go to the doctor and get my first fill. However, I have been losing around 2+ pounds per week and have quite good restriction. I don't have problems eating any types of foods except sandwich bread, which is OK with me. I am not sure I want to get a fill and change things. I read a lot about PB'ing and regurgitation and all that other stuff and right now I don't have that. Since I am gone so often I feel like I am probably safer going this route of no fills. I also wonder how much of the band is physcological since I know I can't get a fill and I need to rely on what I've got. How many people have been OK without getting any fills?

I'll start taking pictures of myself again! I am sure clothes will also be included in the splurge but not at Lane Bryant!!! Perhaps the GAP or somewhere like that.

I tell people that I had hiatal hernia repair, which is the truth, but I didn't know it until after the surgery. It's a great explanation and perfect for trying to cover up WLS if you don't want to tell anyone. Avoid the gall blatter story...that might come back to haunt you!

We have all been there. I thought the same thing. I am down 50 pounds, a huge milestone, and would have never been there without the band. I've been on and off every diet imaginable and never lost this much. I wasn't hugely overweight either, but give me another couple of years and I would have been. My self confidence is back and I am now finally starting to take pictures of myself. As long as you are motivated and don't try to sabitage yourself, you are making the right decision.

I picked a handful of people to tell, but thinking back I wish I had told less people. Those that know are always asking how much have you lost? Have you worked out today? Are you sure you should be eating that? But at the same time my weight loss is now becoming more noticable and people are beginning to ask me how I have lost weight. I just keep thinking back to all those times I did weight watchers and lost 20-40 pounds only for it to come right back. I would get cocky, tell people how I was going to lose all the weight by Christmas or my birthday or whatever the new said date would be, only to fail each and every time. I hit a bit of a plateau recently and I don't need a bunch of people giving me a hard time. As someone else said before, you can't untell people. Really, it's nobody's business and I don't need anyone making me feel bad during this journey.

I have a very active job and I took 1.5 weeks. However, I then went to a one week conference where I sat at a table. So, it was almost 3 weeks before I returned to work. I really struggled that first week back and probably should have taken 4 weeks. I am 32, relatively healthy and expected to have a quick recovery, so I was sort of surprised it took me so long to recover. I should also mention I had a hernia repair at the same time...

I had this happen as well, except I didn't find out until a week later at my 1st post op appointment. I was in a lot more pain and discomfort after the sugery than I thought I would be. When the doctor showed me the pictures I was pretty ticked off, why didn't he tell me or my family who were waiting for me? It would have explained a lot, especially why I had so much pain up high. I was also a little annoyed that it didn't show up on my barium swallow. BUT, I was even more annoyed when I received a bill for $2,700 for the hernia repair. Considering my doctor was joking about how it was three stitches and he was already there. I kept thinking how can three stitches cost $2,700? Mostly it was the lack of communication that really bothered me. Now that it has been repaired I can tell a difference. I no longer choke on Water and a weird feeling I had from time to time is gone.

No one mentioned this (or maybe I missed it), but I was really glad that I brought a loose shirt that hid the fact I wasn't wearing a bra. Slip-on shoes was also brilliant. I wore shorts with an elastic band that slipped on and off. Basically, wear easy clothes. My DH had to dress me top to bottom (including panties) because bending was limited.

My surgeon had done more than 700 lap bands and probably almost as many hernia surgeries as well. After everything I read the complications are lower with the surgeons who have done the most. Plus it helped that this guy was less than 5 miles down the road. That being said, I think 50 is still a lot. I think about my job, and after doing the same thing 50 times I feel like an expert at it...go with your (soon to be shrinking) gut feeling. Or interview other surgeons and decide how you feel about them.

I am almost two months post-op and come to think of it, I haven't been dizzy at all. Prior to the surgery I used to have dizzy spells all the time? Strange? Perhaps we attribute everything not completely right with our bodies to band. I know I am guilty of that a little bit myself...

I think the two keys I have found are to start really slow and eat really small bites. Think about each bite while you are eating and then after you have swollowed give it a few moments before starting the next bite. Before you know it DH will be done and your need to eat together will be over and you will probably be full. I find most of my overeating happens when I am "competing eating".

Don't worry, this is a lapband story! My DH and I went to the Olympics on Friday and security for the event was tight. We had to go through several metal detectors to get into the park. I set off the metal detector like I always do and the girl was wanding me down. My port must have set it off because I beeped at my stomach area. The security girl then touched my stomach (I'm 6 weeks post-op so still a little sensitive) and I jumped. It scared the poor Chinese girl and it scared me as well:ohmy:. She let me pass without me having to explain or show her my medical card. Has anyone else set off the metal dectector? Or been questioned about it?

I had my lap band done in the US, so it's not some kind of strange foreign lap band. They all have metal in them in the port area. I think because it was the Olympics the wands were set at a high sensitivity. I travel extensively for my job so I am in the airport at least 3 times a week and I have never set it off before. That's why this was so strange. My doctor warned me it could happen...

Sarah, Didn't your doctor give you a medical card stating you had the lap-band done? I got one that describes it with a picture and other information including it is a 10 cc size.

I was told it would be $14,500. But then I had to pay $500 for the physch exam, $500 to become a "member", around $2,000 for the gas man, $600 for lab tests and a physical, and then the surpise you had a hernia that wasn't detected on the barrium swallow that we weren't able to get insurance approval ahead of time which cost another $2,700. So over $20,000 was my cost.

What size is your band?

I was banded by Dr. Pinnar on July 17. The jury is still out on my opinion of him. First off, I think he totally oversimplifies the recovery process. More than once he mentions some guy who was able to go back to work the same day. When I got home from the hospital I was still doped up on oxycontin and in a complete fog. The next week was really tough and hard for me. All I could keep thinking about was "a few days recovery" he kept saying over and over. I went in for my 1st post op appointment with a few things to say to him, only he was on vacation and I met with Phil (the PA). I let him know that I thought the the recovery was oversimplified and he said he agreed with me and that he didn't agree with Dr. Pinnar's method of telling people that. He then told me that I had a hernia operation when I had the lap band done. WHAT??? My barrium swallow came back fine? Why didn't anyone tell me that, or tell my husband the day of the surgery? Perhaps that would help explain the burning feeling of hearburn in my chest and extended recovery. He was very embarrassed and apologized, but truthfully, that didn't make me feel any better. My family (husband and parents) waited in the lobby for over 3.5 hours before anyone came to tell them I was OK. They were getting to the point of being scared something had gone wrong, only to find out that the procedure was 41 minutes and everything went "perfect". It's been a month since the surgery and last week I received a bill for $2,700 in the mail for the hernia operation that no one told me I had and that no one told me I was going to receive a bill for either. I could go into other details about dealing with the office staff, but I will leave it with the following statement, I always got the feeling this was a new office and things had not been been well established. Dr. Pinnar is trying to be a salesman and hired a bunch of people who were his former patients. While former patients are great for testimonials, they are not always the best at running an efficient office. I did like the fact that he specializes in the lap band, and even better that he was 10 minutes away from my house. Overall, every day gets a little bit better and the band has been sucessful.

Thank you for posting this. I too was banded July 17th and I am starting to feel the same way. This morning I ate a big breakfast, much more than the 2-4 oz. I should have had. I think I let myself get too hungry was part of the problem. It's also hard transitioning back into "regular" foods. I missed eating! Perhaps it will get easier after the first fill. I was also told that my hunger would return after 3-4 weeks, I guess they were right!