2muchfun

^5 on the video

"If this doesn't do it I give up" Ask for your limitations and they're yours....Richard Bach I hope this is just part of your rant, but keeping positive, long term, is essential. You're so new to this journey and to demand instant results rarely works for most of us. I could understand if you were 2 years into your journey but 5 months is nothing. And losing 2 inches is quite an accomplishment. Many of us would love to have the success you've achieved already. I lost 12 lbs the first 2 weeks and then nothing for the next 3.5 months. Good luck and don't give up, just modify your expectations? tmf

I do agree with your comment but for us guys, the port is right on our abs directly below the ribcage and is easily accessible. Especially as we get closer to goal. I can run my fingers around the top and sides and there's no mystery where the needle is inserted. I wouldn't try it but then again I'm not trained to do this. In a former career I was an ortho-tech but we didn't do syringes. I think if I went to Mexico more often I might entertain taking one with me to unfill myself if I got realy sick(it's happened). I'd leave the refills to Dr Chae. tmf

That's a tough one? You could call your doc and see if they'll give you an unfill till the bug passes over? I've had stomach bugs myself and I know there's very little one can do to stop the barfing when it starts. Water, food, everything consumed is fair game to violently evacuate your stomach. This could cause a slip so be very careful? tmf

I can only speak for me. I look for satiety signals and try to stop when I sense one. You will have to get in touch with your band and analyze your own hunger vs. cravings to determine if you are hungry or just want to eat too much? It's going to be different for everyone. I've read here where some say they cannot physically eat beyond a cup of food. I've read others who state they're hunger goes away completely after 1/2-1 cup of food? Good luck!

Many would be very happy to have your dilemma. Being satisfied for 3 hours is very good. Give it a week or two and if you feel like you need more, go back and ask for a small adjustment.

I only had about 75 lbs to lose. If I compare myself to "Joe" who had 175 lbs to lose, it's almost certain that Joe will lose more in the beginning than me. Many obese people retain much more water/fluids than others. The weight lost in those first few weeks is mostly water/fluids. Once you both rid your bodies of the excess fluids, the rate of fat loss should even out. "The jealous competitor. – Don’t be jealous of others. Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. Stop comparing your journey with everyone else’s. Your journey is YOUR journey, NOT a competition. You are in competition with one person and one person only – yourself. You are competing to be the best you can be. If you want to measure your progress, compare yourself to who you were 30 days ago or last year"

You'll be in "bandster hell" until you get the fill that gives you enough restriction for the band to work it's magic. That may be 1 fill or 6. No one knows. Till then, if you want to lose or maintain, you're on a diet. tmf

Just keep getting fills till you start to feel a little restriction or feeling satisfied with less food. It could take several fills to get back to the green zone.

Think of the band as if it were a ring on your finger but it's a ring around your stomach, which is a muscle. If you retain Water from TOM, sodium, illness, it only stands to reason that your stomach will swell just like other parts of your body swell. So, the lining of your stomach will swell which makes the stoma a smaller hole. tmf

"I have my procedure on Friday and back to work on Tuesday" Who do you think you are? Governor Christie? I was back to work(I too work from home) the same day of surgery, but just an hour or so. But definitely 3-4 days later I was back full time. I had an easy recovery compared to so many I see here. Just be prepared to take some afternoons off that next week if you need to. tmf

Not rude at all. We all learn from each other's journey.

As you wish:

For most of us, going to solids made little difference. Your band probably has 0-3 CC's of fluid in it and the stoma is still wide. You should be able to eat most anything and may not notice a difference. Don't be surprised if it is this way? It could take several fills before you start to notice some foods not passing through as easily. Until then this is basically a diet. For me, during this period(4 months long) I did feel satisfied with less food so I did not gain weight, but for many, it's still a diet till you get some restriction.

Many obese people retain a lot of fluid, especially those who have been on a high carb diet for years. It's not unusual to drop 30-40 lbs of excess fluids the first 2 weeks post surgery. You may lose a little fat along with the fluids but maybe only 2 lbs a week.

Oh yeah! I'll bet I can do that coming down Pikes Peak

Your post reminds me of another post last year: " In my case, the most fearful thing I had to do in order to succeed with my band wasn't switching to skim milk, surviving a liquid diet, or giving up bread. The most fearful thing was giving up my emotional attachment to food. In the nearly 5 years since I was banded, I've made a lot of progress with that, but the attachment is still there. It forms one of the innermost layers of my turtle shell. Working on that layer will probably be a lifetime job for me. At times I'm not even sure I truly want to get rid of it altogether. At times I'm afraid that if I shed my shell completely, I won't be able to survive. On the other hand, I seem to be doing fine without that thick old b***h layer. So I'm going to pay attention to my dreams rather than my fears and pray for a miracle. And why not? It can't hurt to try!"

You should fill in your profile so we know more about you and your journey? Vomiting or PBing? Vomiting is not good and can cause a band slip. You might want to see your doctor.

Vomiting or PBing? Vomiting is not good and you should waste no time in seeing your doctor or at the very least calling him/her.

Deli meats travel well in a cooler. I too like Jerky and string cheese.

Maybe if you sat down and spoke with your doctor about how this works he might be able to explain it better? Dr O'Brien, the doctor who has performed more surgeries than anyone, also states the band will not stop you from eating too much. It will only help you feel satisfied sooner and longer. If you would take the time to view the videos I posted above you might learn how this works? It is true that the Lapband site states it restricts how much you can eat. That's flat out not true. Watch the videos. tmf

Pictures por favor!

Buy a computer. This site is so much better with a PC.

No, the band is around your stomach not your lungs. Two completely different organs. tmf

I never experienced any difficulties with my fills but I read a lot where others do. If you can drink Water that is good, but the test will be mushies or maybe a thick Soup? Take it easy and slow so that you don't have a stuck episode, as this can cause some inflammation at the band site which will only make you tighter. Like so many others have said, call your doc if you can't swallow water because dehydration is very dangerous. tmf