cwm812

Amanda, First...that little pain your felling is well-reported on this site and I get it, too. It's not an everyday thing for me, but it usually happens after I eat. I find it goes away if I get up and move around. I have no idea what causes it, although I think it has something to do with the positioning of the tubing that leads to the port. I feel like there's a kink (or something) and it's poking me. I know the pain you're feeling is not acid reflux because I am very familiar with that. As for the weight loss...I think you are doing great. You did well only gaining 35 lbs with the baby and you've gotten most of that off. That's a lot more than most women can do on their own. When you're ready, I would go back the the surgeon and get a fill. You haven't failed at anything. You just had life happen and now you want to use the tool you've got. There's nothing wrong with that. That's why you had surgery in the first place. Cindy

I thought I was the only one who did this! Last year, I had quite the surprise. At back-to-school night, I was the smallest person in most of the classes. Now this says a lot more about the obesity rate in my area of the country than it does about my weight loss, but still...it felt good. You will get there and soon!

You can lose weight with the lapband and without exercising. I know because I did it. I dropped my 100 lbs in my first year without doing any exercise at all. But here's the bad part, it will only get you so far. I could tell that my weight loss was slowing and if I didn't do something more I was going to remain at 250 lbs. I started going to the gym and I kept losing. I think it really depends what you want to accomplish. When you don't eat much, you lose pounds...for a while. Then it stops. That's because without any activity, your body can run on next to nothing. Then the exercise becomes really important. Honestly, I kind of like it now. I love the fact that I can work out for an hour and not need a whole day to recuperate. Exercise when you're morbidly obese is hell. As you lose weight, everything becomes much easier. Cindy

My stomach is not too crazy about fills either. I learned early on in the process that I needed to get very small fills(0.3-0.4 cc) and then baby my stomach for a few days afterward. When I hear the size of the fills some people get, I know that I would sick as a dog for 2 weeks. As far as the reflux goes, if you aren't too tight, you should be OK in a week. If you aren't, you need to see your doctor and have some of the fill removed. To get through the first few days, I take prevacid and never eat anything after dinner. Cindy

I am always so angry when people are told that the band won't work because they have a high BMI. Why wouldn't it work? If you restrict what you consume, you're going to lose weight. In fact,most people with a high BMI lose weight faster than lose with less to lose. I keep wondering how many obese people get discouraged and give up the fight. As for my story....I was 47 when I was banded. I started with a 56 BMI. The first year I lost 105 lbs and in 2 1/2 years, I lost 175. For the record, I didn't eat perfectly or exercise all day every day. I just ate normally and exercised 3 times a week. Cindy

I've been going there for 3 years and I've been very pleased. There are the usual problems of not being able to get an appointment the minute you want it, but other than that, I've been extremely happy. Dr. Weiger provides the aftercare and quite frankly, he been doing it a long time and he's good at it. You really don't see your surgeon much after the operation, but I think that's a good thing. I'm in the medical field and I work for another local hospital. Most surgeons aren't the best at long-term care. They tend to like to fix a problem and move on. The combination of good surgeons and Dr. Weiger really worked well for me. If you have any specific questions, you can send me a private message. I have an appointment today....I let you know if anything has changed. Cindy

I'm not sure where you found your list but there's about 20 Centers of Excellence in PA. Here's the link , I used. http://www.surgicalreview.org/locate/asmbs/. I'm not sure where you're located, but there may be some closer to you on the list. As far as Geisinger goes, they have an excellent reputation as a hospital, but I know little of their weight loss programs. Full disclaimer here....I used to work for them. If you are anywhere near the Harrisburg area, I can definitely recommend the program at Pinnacle.

I did it and you can, too. My story is alot like Klariade's. And I totally agree with her about the height/weight charts. Although, I am still "overweight", I really don't think I should lose more than another 10 lbs or so. I'm in my fifties and wearing a size 10, that's alright by me. I do harbor this dream of someday wearing a single-digit size, but I'm not sure I really care about it that much anymore. As far as the key to success, figure out what works for you and keep doing it, no matter what. For me, I don't count or track anything. I eat moderately and exercise moderately. I routinely overeat at holidays and vacations, just like skinny people do! For me the key was to NOT be on a diet! I've always been a good dieter, but at some point I would get fed up with all the rules and I'd go crazy and gain back all my weight. When you aren't DIETING, that doesn't happen. I know this may not work for everyone, but it was definitely the key for me. Cindy

One more bit of positivity....the band is adjustable. After losing 50% of my body weight, I've been maintaining for the past year. Over the summer, I began getting hungrier and eating more, and I gained 5 lbs. So....I made an appointment for a fill next week. Try doing that with a sleeve or a bypass. I'm sure my little gain will be stopped in its tracks. The band is just what I needed. Cindy

This happened to me when I was too tight. I had to drink all my liquids very slowly, a sip at a time. I don't really think the liquids are sitting on top of the band, but I always had the feeling that there was an air bubble (or something) in the way. Once I had a small unfill, the problem went away. Also, warm liquids were better than cold ones, for me. Cindy

I can't believe anyone would think of asking you to sign that. You are getting a lap band, not moving to Mars! Of course, we all recognize that alcohol is just empty calories, but really, as adults can't we decide what we choose to consume? Alcohol will not hurt your band. It will merely impede your weight loss, as do lots of other poor choices. Maybe I should sign something to indicate that I won't eat pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving. As for drinking with the band, I'm not a big drinker, but I do have a glass of wine every now and then. I've tried beer, but the carbonation makes me sick. Since, I lost half my body size, alcohol does effect me much quicker. You do need to be cautious, but you don't need to avoid it for the rest of your life. I really think that the secret to success with the band is to live as normally as possible. Crazy rules like this, just make it harder to think for yourself and make good choices. Information is useful, arbitrary rules are not. Cindy

Rozie.... You always strike me as an intelligent and interesting person on your posts....this is one lucky baby! Congratulations! Cindy

Rozie.... You always strike me as an intelligent and interesting person on your posts....this is one lucky baby! Congratulations! Cindy

Great suggestions from Melissa about the liquids before eating. Even though my doctor told me no drinking 15 minutes before eating, I found out early on that I needed to drink right before eating anything solid. It's almost as if, I need to get my stomach primed. If not, I can only eat a bite or two and I feel awful. I told my doctor about it and he said it was fine and to remember that even the rules aren't 100% for everyone! Make sure you try to hot liquid...I always do that if I feel like I'm having a problem. Cindy

Amy, I know you asked about the sleeve and honestly, I know nothing about it, but I really think you're too tight. If you can't eat any meat, something is wrong and before I tried another surgery, I'd try an unfill. You probably only need a little removed and then wait a few days for everything to calm down. I don't think I ever got to the point you are at, but I have needed unfills. I've had three in the 18 months. The first time, I was so afraid of having an unfill, I waited forever. I was at the point where I could only do Soups and chili without getting stuck. I figured I would gain weight, but I actually lost with each unfill. The more solid food, I eat, the less I eat. I hope you're feeling better soon. Cindy

I couldn't agree with you more. The only way to get great healthcare is to work with your providers (doctors, nurses, therapists...) That's damn hard to do if someone is treating you poorly. Healthcare is a collaborative effort, if you need to go to a few doctors until you find the one who listens to you and who you trust, so be it. I've been fortunate enough to find a primary doc who I really respect and she respects my opinion! When I need a new specialist for something, I always ask her opinion. Sometimes I end up going a little out of my way or to a new facility, but she hasn't steered me wrong yet. The good docs are out there...Keep looking, if you haven't found one yet. Cindy

Good luck in your Quest to control the pre-op eating. I failed miserably at this. I actually lost 30 lbs and gained 35lbs all in the 8 months before I was banded. I guess I know why I needed this thing! Fortunately, struggling with pre-op eating is no indicator of your future success with the band. Cindy

Honestly, I think you'll do great without a pre-op diet. My doctor (another Center of Excellence) doesn't use them, except in rare instances. I can't see how a liquid diet before surgery in any way readies you for life after surgery. Before my surgery, I was stressed. Worried about all the changes coming in my life and eating every last supper I could think of. Fortunately, I didn't need to deal with a liquid diet to boot. After my surgery, I woke up without any hunger at all. In fact, my appetite didn't return until I was ready to move to mushies. I think it's the effect of the anesthesia, I've had it happen with other surgeries, as well. Due to the fact that I wasn't starving myself (and my high BMI!), I lost weight rapidly in the first 2 weeks. It was really good to feel successful right away. My point is, you'll be fine. Life after surgery is different than life before. You still need to follow your doctors orders, but it's sooo much easier after the surgery. All that anxiety and fear is gone, and you're ready to move ahead. Cindy

This is a great idea! It drives me crazy when I buy lo cal stuff for me and then everyone eats it! Now I wonder if I can fit a tiny fridge in my closet. My current method of deception is to hide my stuff in the veggie drawer. No one ever goes there at my house! Cindy

I think you have to be realistic and remember that you will be most of your own support. I live in a house with my husband and sons (ages 18 and 21). No one has given up junk food or overeating. I cook what I am going to cook for dinner. They eat it or they don't. Beyond that, we are responsible for what goes into our mouths. Some days it's harder than others, but it really is up to you. Since I do the grocery shopping, I have a few foods I just don't bring home, like ice cream. If they want it, they can go out and get it. Ultimately, you can't count on anyone to help you do this Oh your family may believe they're supporting you, but generally its limited to being nice when you're not feeling well. They never thought that they were going to live on salad and lean Protein.. Really, it is much easier to control your eating when you aren't starving all the time. Also, when you do eat some junk (and you will), you will be satisfied with a small amount, like a few bites of pizza instead of 3 slices. And one more thing...when it gets to you, come here and vent. We understand. Cindy

Rebecca, Good luck with your flight on Wednesday and I wish you compassionate flight attendants. Usually, I had good luck, too, but on one very crowded flight, I couldn't get anyone's attention. I actually flew the whole flight completely unbuckled. Luckily nothing happened. I'm sure it wouldn't have mattered anyway. I was wedged so tight into that seat that I wasn't moving in any kind of turbulence! Cindy

Those numbers always scared the heck out of me. It just sounds so impossible. I never told anyone how much I wanted to lose or how much I weighed. Skinny people just can't grasp those numbers. Even now with the weight off, I still don't tell people how much I've lost. When you say you've lost more than most people weigh, everyone looks at you funny. The good news is...it does work and you can lost a person or two with this thing! Cindy

From personal experience, I can tell you that you can lose a great deal of weight with the lap band. I started out at 350 and lost 175 over the next 2.5 years. I'd also like to comment that while I tried hard, I was far from perfect and overate at holidays, vacations and celebrations like all the normal people on the planet. I'm not sure where the idea comes from that you won't lose much weight, but the fact is, you will lose much faster than someone with only 50 lbs to lose. It makes me crazy that some docs discourage those of us with 150+ lbs when the fact is the band works well. I'm glad my doctor was a believer! Cindy

From personal experience, I can tell you that you can lose a great deal of weight with the lap band. I started out at 350 and lost 175 over the next 2.5 years. I'd also like to comment that while I tried hard, I was far from perfect and overate at holidays, vacations and celebrations like all the normal people on the planet. I'm not sure where the idea comes from that you won't lose much weight, but the fact is, you will lose much faster than someone with only 50 lbs to lose. It makes me crazy that some docs discourage those of us with 150+ lbs when the fact is the band works well. I'm glad my doctor was a believer! Cindy

Count me as one of the many who haven't had problems. I've been banded for 3 years and couldn't be happier with my decision. I just told my doctor today, that I would be lost without my band. This "tool" gives me the control I always needed. Cindy