phthaloblue

I'm 31, have PCOS, and got my lap-band a year and a half ago with the idea that it would be easier to get pregnant if I lost a significant amount of weight. I stopped birth control over the summer and started charting my temperature last month. After a decade of being seriously anovulatory (and never having gotten my period naturally) I was having perfect 29 day cycles. Then last weekend I took a home pregnancy test and I'M PREGNANT! :thumbup: We thought it would take years and multiple fertility interventions/medications to see those two little pink lines, but it happened in two months. It's been years since I've even taken Metformin, just my daily thyroid pill. I think the recent weight loss (about 60 lbs) must've balanced out my hormones and spiked my fertility. I'm so thankful for this little piece of silicone that enabled what feels like a miracle. Best of luck to you in your journey!

I have 9.25cc in a 10cc band, and I'm close to restriction, I think. Close enough that I won't ask for another fill, since I'm losing okay. Additionally, my doctor has stated that she'd be very hesitant to fill much more, with how full the band already is. The only thing keeping me from feeling like I've really achieved restriction is that I never get the full feeling like others have mentioned. I've never gotten to the point where I felt like I just couldn't eat another bite, or else I'd be sick. So if I don't watch it, I can eat a huge plate of food. (My doctor doesn't think I need a fill, she thinks that I'm one of the rare people who lacks nerve sensitivity in the stomach.) I was hoping that the band would help me "police" myself with portions, but I'm doing most of that myself.

I was banded on July 6, 2009, and so far I'm down 35 pounds with 9ccs in a 10cc band. It hasn't been easy - it took six months to get to restriction and I wasn't really putting in much work on my end so I didn't lose much. I was enjoying being able to eat whatever I wanted without gaining weight for the first time in my life! That also meant losing sight of my weight loss goal. But since the beginning of the new year, I've been much better and am finally losing. I'm sure I'd be doing even better if I got off my butt to exercise more though! It's all a journey... :wink2:

That's awesome! I actually had that exact same revelation a few weeks ago. I only lost a pound or two in the months after I finished my pre-op diet, and was just waiting to achieve restriction. After 7 months, I'm almost at my sweet spot. But it wasn't just that that kept me from losing. For the first time in my life, I was able to eat whatever food I liked and not gain a pound (thanks to my band's forced portion control). It was a liberating feeling, and I spent the fall and holiday season enjoying not thinking, worrying, or obsessing about food and my weight. At my last fill appointment, though, I had to have an honest discussion about why I wasn't losing weight. I needed a fill, but wasn't given one - my doctor wanted me to address the mental and emotional reasons I've been eating first. After that appointment, something clicked - that I need to take the band seriously and LET IT help me lose weight, not just maintain. I want to get down to goal, and I want to start TTC this summer, and those things just won't happen unless I put some work in myself. Since then I've been making much better food choices, following the rules, and even exercising a little. I've lost about six pounds! I'll see my doctor on Monday and hopefully get the little bit of a fill I need to get real restriction. :thumbup:

I'm having a big issue with Breakfast, and hoping someone can help. When I leave for work in the morning (about 7:30 am), I'm not hungry, but by about 9:00 I'm starving. I'm a teacher and my schedule doesn't allow for time to sit and eat an elaborate breakfast, so the best I can do is eat a greek yogurt with berries or granola, or some cheese, or a Protein bar, but by 10:30 I'm hungry again. Real, uncomfortable hunger - not head hunger. Does anyone have ideas for a filling breakfast that can carry me for three or four hours, that I can pack and doesn't need to be heated/cooked (I don't have access to a microwave)? I think I'm at restriction (or close) and I have 8.5cc's in a 10cc band, so there's not much more room. But part of me thinks this shouldn't be a problem. So many of you seem to be fine in the mornings with only a cup of coffee or a Protein shake. How can I eat a whole Protein Bar and be legitimately hungry an hour and a half later? Any help is greatly appreciated!

Right now, it's just in Excel, but he's working on making it into a web application (using Python) It really does help on those mornings when the numbers go up, and I'd normally want to kick the scale across the room. Instead I just step on it really hard. :crying:

I'm in the mushies stage myself, so I'll be watching this thread too! Things I've been enjoying: -Ricotta cheese and marinara/spaghetti sauce microwaved, with dried basil and oregano to season. Like lasagna, but without the noodles -Cottage cheese with fruit spread (all fruit, no sugar added) -Whipped mashed potatoes. I made a batch of homemade ones, but I also enjoyed a little packet of them I got at the supermarket. They were "loaded" flavored, and I think the brand was Idahoan -Lowfat chunky Soups blended up a little. I made a lentil soup that was awesome, and high Fiber which is always good. :thumbup:

I weigh myself every morning. My scale tells me weight and body fat percentage, so I record them every morning. I enter the numbers into a little computer program that my husband wrote. It takes the two numbers and basically uses them as data points to determine the trend of weight loss. So even if my weight goes up for a day or two, it usually still shows an overall loss. I find it to be very encouraging on those days, and since I can just view my weight as a "data point" it takes some of the emotion out of it, for me at least. :thumbup:

I'm sharing all of your excitement! My surgery date is this Monday, July 6!!! Today is my first day on the 5 day pre-op diet my doctor ordered. It's okay so far, but I can't imagine having to do it for two weeks. I am impressed by everyone else who does! 5 MORE DAYS!!!

I am right there with you guys. I got approved for surgery in mid-March, with a surgery date four months later. I've had four months of "Last Supper Syndrome"!!! It's awful. I try to tell myself that it's only hurting me to gain before my surgery, but the overriding thought is "must eat foods I love in case I can never eat them again!" While my doctor's office has never said a thing about gaining weight pre-surgery, part of me is afraid that they'll weigh me next week and say "oops, you've gained weight, we need to reschedule your surgery". And I've been waiting 4 months!!! My pre-op diet is only 5 days, but it's liquids only, so I'll probably drop a few pounds with that. Oh well. :confused:

I am a sparkling, shiny July Jewel, and hoping to shrink about 100 carats! :confused:

Yes! I'm a July Bandster-to-be! I'm having surgery on July 6, and I'm so glad it's less than a month away! It's been such a long time coming. I have my pre-surgery appts with my doctor on June 22, then pre-surgery appt with the hospital on June 24. My doctor only requires a 5 day pre-op diet, but it's really strict so I'm a little nervous. More than anything, though, I'm excited!!!:grouphug:

Sorry you're having to go through all of this, at your own expense (literally). My understanding is that they want you to have the CPAP machine for when you come out of anesthesia. They want to make sure that you're able to breathe properly when you're waking, and that there are no breathing complications post-op. They're not trying to treat your apnea on a long-term basis, it's simply for the day of surgery. My insurance required a pulmonary screening, and the pulmonologist ordered a sleep study. It turned out I had very mild sleep apnea, and so I had to schedule a second study with CPAP. The next week I got the CPAP machine and I have to use it until and immediately after my surgery. It turns out that I'm barely eligible for it (being that my apnea is so mild) but they're doing it just to be safe. I'll also have to stay overnight in the hospital because of the CPAP - I wouldn't if I didn't have it. The whole thing is very frustrating, and I totally get where you're coming from! My only advice is to just get it over with. If it's important enough to your doctor, and you trust your doctor, then jump through the hoops. It sucks, but what can you do? Maybe you'll find that you sleep better, and it was a blessing in disguise. I hope this helps, and good luck on your journey!