aprildurham23

DH and I are REALLY trying to get preggo. I was banded in Dec 08 and have lost about 30lbs. (I'm at 195 now.) Pre-op I was 224. Surgery day I was 208. I've gone from 208 to 195 in the past month due to diet and exercise. The doctor was NOT aggressive with my fills, and FINALLY I am at that "sweet spot." Well, almost. I think another fill will do it. But anyway, the LAST thing I need is for him to take ANYTHING out!!! I will refuse to tell him I'm even preggo if he wants to take some out. I think I am at 6 cc's in my 10cc band. If he takes any out, I will certainly gain weight during my pregnancy and that is last thing I need. Right now I am getting plenty of calories and taking prenatals plus Calcium+D supplements. AND metformin as well. Waiting to get pregnant isn't an option at this point as we are ready to start TTC. So is this possible? Also, at EVERY fill the doctor removes ALL the saline to make sure I don't have a leak, then puts it ALL back in. The removing of the saline is VERY painful. Like pinching, hurting...OW. I think my stiches are happy where they are! anywhoo, any advice would be great.

I feel like 8.5 cc's is just REALLY tight compared to other people. Some people find their sweet spot at as low as 4ccs! I have been choking in the middle of the night ever since my previous fill to 8cc's. I thought maybe that was the sweet spot, but I was able to eat an entire meatball sub from subway. What gives? I got my .5 cc fill to 8.5 on Tuesday and it has been a nightmare ever since. I wake up choking on my spit in the middle of the night... I WOULD go in for an "unfill" - but that's really stupid that I can eat a full sandwich at 8cc's. When I went in for my fill, my doc put the needle in and said that my band was so full it pushed out some saline into the syringe. Seriously...what's going on?

I was banded almost exactly a year ago - I am currently 8.5cc's in my 10cc band. Since my most recent fill four days ago, I've been really sick. I woke up one night severely choking on my stomach contents. I STUPIDLY ate a bit a bread to soak up the gastric juices...and of course it got stuck and I was up all night barfing. Or PBing....I think. Ever since, I wake up in the morning and have the worst nausea of my life. I have NEVER truly vomited (only PBing) until these past few days. I wretched only twice...and threw up actual FOOD...even though I hadn't eaten since 7-9pm the previous day. My husband says I'm coughing at night (though I did that a little before this fill). I have taken pepcid, tums, pepto, and it all has helped a little. But I feel a pinching sort of pain right now. Are these characteristics of a slippage, overfill, or stomach flu? <input id="gwProxy" type="hidden"><!--Session data--><input onclick="jsCall();" id="jsProxy" type="hidden">

I went to work for a half day on my surgery day, then took the following day off, then went back Thursday! My husband also got the band with me, so my father in law came and took care of us until Sunday.

Yes, it's pretty normal. I was in that much pain (had the band a year ago too! 12/8!) and I couldn't barely walk! Aww it was awful! They had me on good pain meds though. Be wary if you are on hydro (liquid) or anything though...constipation was horrible. I was in lots of pain for about a week and a half.

Hey everyone! I just wanted to share my story and say that FINALLY, nine months after surgery...I've gotten to the "sweet" spot. I am about 7cc's in my 10cc band right now, and I can hardly eat a thing! yay! Ha ha. I am 5'2" and at my heaviest I was 243. Thought I hovered around 220 for a long time. Surgery day I was 208lbs. 6 months later, in May, I was STILL 208. Not a single pound lost. My Dr. wasn't very aggressive with fills. Finally, I decided to just kick myself in the butt and do strictly low carb, (induction/atkins style) and workout EVERY single day. I also decided to go BACK on metformin. Well, from May 2009 to August 2009 I lost 20lbs. And on August 11th I got...like my fifth fill? Sixth fill? I forget. But anyway, I've lost 5lbs in 5 days!!! I haven't even been working out! (Evil I know...) I am SO restricted I had five peanuts for Breakfast, five bites of tuna for lunch, and 1/4 cup of chili for dinner. I know I need more calories than that...but still! It's great! Right now I am at 185 and a size 14/16.

I honestly felt restriction right away. I haven't really felt hungry at all...except a few times when I didn't eat for over 12 hours (overnight).... This is really the first time I have felt "good" during the lap band...I mean...I DID get really upset because I just wanted to EAT and couldn't! But after a few days, I felt much better that I was actually losing weight. Also, I feel much more restriction right after a fill....as I lose weight it gets looser.

Yeah I have to be careful with like ice cream and crap like that because I KNOW I will gain weight with stuff that goes thru easily. But after every fill I am always really TIGHT, and then as a few weeks go by and I lose weight...it gets looser (because of the decreased fat around the band...) so by the time my other fill rolls around, I will be ready to put more in.

I started on solids just days after surgery, I ate whatever I wanted for 6 months, even after fills, and didn't lose a pound. I finally just low carbed it until I got my perfect fill (7cc's in my 10cc band) and finally lost weight....It sucks, but it's just like any other diet there for awhile. I wish my doc was a little more aggressive with me as I didn't lose weight at all for half a year. But then again - I wasn't even trying. I worked out, and ate RIGHT, but I didn't eat LOW CARB. Finally I decided I would - and lost some weight, and hit the sweet spot with like my sixth fill.

I was a diet coke addict too...now 9 months post op I've probably had around 4 or five sodas total in the last few months only. It's really not a big deal...but I don't really like it anymore because I don't like the taste. I guess after 7 or so months without it completely...I no longer like it.

I'm pretty tight right now - I just ate 1/2 of a mcdonald's hamburger patty, and three french fries and I feel waaaay full. BUT - I used to not have very much restriction at all...I am at 7cc's in my 10cc band right now and at 6cc's I was still able to eat at buffets!! Weird!

Yep....happens to me every day!

I was banded in December 2008 and since surgery day I've lost only 13lbs. And all of those were just lost in the past month and a half. I am 5'2" and 195lbs. My heaviest I was 243. Pre-op I was 224. Hubby and I have decided to start on Clomid + Metformin now. I am pretty healthy, I work out every day, and only eat low carb foods. So I am not doing anything "wrong" per se. It's just a slow process. But we feel that right now is the best time for us as we will be moving and losing insurance, which would be a nightmare if I delivered without it! So we are going to try anyway!

I just bought the regular prenatals, and rinse off the coating and chew them! It's gross, but cheap and worth it!

Hi! I got the lap band six months ago, and have lost a total of 10 lbs - ALL in the last three weeks because of diet and exercise. The first 5 months it was pretty much just like before I got the band. I was able to eat almost anything I wanted. I didn't. I mean I ATE whatever I wanted - just in smaller quantities. And that didn't work for weight loss. Then I finally got...I think my third or fourth fill and for the FIRST time I felt the feeling of something getting STUCK. So then I was more careful, chewed more slowly, and the weight still stayed on. Zero pounds lost. This past month I've been doing a low carb diet and working out every single day. And training for a 5k run. In three weeks I lost 10lbs. Two days ago I got another fill. And I don't really notice a difference. So I am STILL low carbing it. I DO notice that I feel fuller faster when eating. But I don't STAY full. It doesn't keep me from being hungry, it just keeps me from OVER eating. And it doesn't keep me from eating slowly and going back for seconds. Or thirds. I was able to eat half a thin crust pizza (first CHEAT DAY in a month!) just last night. Granted it was over the course of a few hours - but I was able to do it. I think the MOST important thing to remember...and like everyone says...it will work if you WANT it to work and do what the doc says and eat slowly etc... Honestly, I am technically "full" after 1/2 cup of food. I feel full and satisfied, but in my mind I know that's not enough food. So I push through and eat a whole cup instead. Then maybe another half cup. It doesn't keep you from PHYSICALLY not being able to eat like gastric bypass does. Just for that moment while you're eating the very first few bites, you have to REALLY pay attention because THAT'S where the weight loss happens. Sorry to ramble. I DO NOT regret it. I just regret that I didn't have the self control to make it work for me in the first few months. It's not a solve-all, for sure. But if you have the desire and the will enough to go on yet another diet...you can do it.

My husband and I got the band in Dec. and just got word from our insurance that instead of the $1500 per person, we are going to be charged $2500 per person....for literally NO GOOD REASON!! They told us that it would be about $3000 total for both my husband and I to get it after our insurance covered the rest. Now we are being charged $5000. This is NUTS. Did this happen with anyone else? The surgeries went well without a hitch, and neither of us have ANY problems at all (in fact it's like the band isn't even there, which is unfortunate...going in for another fill. ) But not only that - I had to sleep on a gurney!!! Yeah, they didn't have a bed for me to sleep on so they gave me a gurney! Ridiculous! We are def. gonna fight this, I am just wondering if you have any advice??

Yes, actually. They gave us this form on surgery day that we filled out with credit card info etc... Actually THEY filled out the "estimate" part, and it said that amount. But again, it was an estimate. So I dunno.

I got banded on Dec. 8th. Before surgery and the pre op diet I was 218. Surgery day I was 208. It's now Jan. 20th and I am still 208. I had almost no restriction at all these first six weeks, so I was hungry all the time. I could basically eat whatever I wanted. Today we got our first fill and I really don't feel that much restriction. I was able to quickly drink water and didn't really feel it stop or anything in the doc's office. He filled me 4.5cc's. We are supposed to be on clear liquids today, so I got some gatorade. I didn't eat anything all day, and by 5pm I was absolutely starving. It hurt so bad. I tried to satiate my hunger with more fluids, but nothing works. So I ate some leftover chicken and mashed potatoes to see if it would go through. I ate small bites and chewed thouroughly - and I was able to eat like normal. What the hell is going on???? It's about two hours later and I am at the "painful" hungry point again. All I've literally been thinking about the last two hours is eating more chicken...

I haven't lost but maybe 2 pounds since I got the band in, but 12 pounds pre-op. My husband who got it on the same day hasn't lost any weight at all (except 50 pounds pre-op!). In fact, after the holidays we managed to GAIN weight! I feel hungrier now than I did before I got the band! We've been eating normal foods for the most part, but of course eating smaller meals, and lots of protien and Water. We even have low carb protien shakes every day for Breakfast and/or lunch, but I still get so freakin' hungry. Everything I eat goes through just fine, and I am hungry every two hours or so. So I know that it will probably get better once we have our fill, I am just wondering HOW much better? I know the band is a TOOL to aid in dieting properly, but I didn't get the band so I could DIET all the time. I got it so I could eat what I wanted in moderation without being hungry.

So I've been banded for exactly two weeks today and I have a confession... Well, both my husband and I got banded two weeks ago. The first week we stayed on Clear liquids, and actually moved into full liquids about two days early. Then we went to mushies early. Now we just said screw it and we're pretty much eating WHATEVER WE WANT!!! I mean, there's very little restriction too. We just take little bites and chew well....but seriously I am worried that this isn't going to work because I can eat just like I did before...I mean, maybe a little slower, and maybe a little less food in general...but all in all I am wondering what the heck? Also, should I be worried? I know the docs say to go to full liquids then mushies then soft foods, but for what reason? Everything we've been eating has been totally fine. Even bread doesn't really get stuck. Did we stretch it out or something? We haven't got our first fill yet, so do things change big time after that? I am just worried that this isn't going to work!!!

So good news! I actually called my doctor and confessed, and he said not to worry about it, but to go back on mushies right away. He said I would definetly KNOW if there was slippage or stitch ripping or anything like that. And he said the same thing....as long as we are chewing throroughly, taking small bites, and really "pureeing" the food in our mouths it should be okay since we are on the mushies stage. So yeah!

I am curious if anyone has every had this happen, what you did, and what caused it? Also, if a stitch ripped or the band slipped, did you notice? Could you FEEL it?

Nope. Not one. Not any single thing about the REASON for the post-op liquid diet. Aside from getting your stomach USED TO the food and the band.... Granted, yes we should have stayed on the diet to the T....but no one said that serious reprocussion might arise if we didn't. It's not like soda where they ingrain it into your head that you CANNOT have it or else you will stretch out your stomach. So of course we haven't had pop at all. But NO ONE EVER SAID that our stitches would "rip" out if we had mushies or soft foods early.

I don't understand why SOME people go on liquids for a few days, then mushies for a few days then solids. And other people are saying that I am going to rip out all my stitches if I continue eating solid food....so what's the deal? Also, it's not very nice to assume I didn't do my research before this surgery. Both my husband and I researched this for two years before we ever got it, yet NOTHING during any of the THREE orientations we went to mentioned the reason for the liquid diet. Neither did our current doctor. Our doctor didn't tell us the reason for the diet at all. We were left to assume that the liquid diet was because of swelling, and as soon as we were able to eat solid food it should be alright...I mean, if you chew up the food very well and take small bites, it's the exact same thing as the "mushy" or "pureed" stage.

No, the only thing that is a little uncomfortable for me is the jostling...lol. Just be gentle and it's actually quite nice :biggrin: