SunnyRachel

Kevin, I wish you and your family all the best. You are a strong team, and I know you will come through this challenge as you have in the past. 2009 is going to be great!!

Awwww, what willpower!!!!! You are doing so great!! Happy New Year!

Hi, Monica!! I can speak to the whole apprehension part. I never wanted to go this route. I thought I still could do it myself. I thought if I did choose surgery, I was a failure. I'm 33, 5'6", and at one point I weighed 316. I started having back trouble, but not constant. I always thought that with no sign of diabetes or high blood pressure, I was "handling" my weight okay. Well, long story short, mild pain turned into crippling pain, and I was being told I was too heavy to help. So I turned to the Band, reluctantly... but it sounded so much safer than gastric bypass. Still, I felt I could lose it on my own. Well, insurance had so many hoops, and my approval process took a year's worth of work on my part, but I lost 30 pounds going through the nutrition program for six months... and at the end of it I realized that I really was just a binge away from blowing all that hard work too. I finally got honest with myself and decided this was right for me. I believe that each day you have a chance to make that healthy change... but I was just not disciplined enough to do what I knew I should do. I always ignored my stomach. My stomach would say it's not hungry, but I'd eat anyway. My stomach would say it is full, but I'd keep putting more in. My stomach would say it didn't like having a bowl of popcorn followed by a bowl of ice cream and a root beer..but despite its cries for help, I listened to my head more -- and it kept saying, "Yeah, but it's yummy! You can eat right tomorrow!" And tomorrow would just be the same. The band gave my stomach a voice now, and trust me, it is loud and clear and I pay attention to what it is telling me now. And you know what, it never complains that it is hungry. My appetite is practically zero, and many of my old favorite food just look nasty to me now. So I guess the point of all that is... the big question to ask yourself is this.... can you obey your stomach? Do you listen to it now? Sure, you can lose weight on your own, but can you obey your stomach for the long term? I think that answer will help you decide whether to keep going on your own or enlist the help of the band. It's a great tool, but a lot of hard work, not an instant miracle, but a long-term instrument that you have to finely tune and adjust to your own body. You'll need a good relationship with a surgeon that you can communicate easily with so the two of you can get it to work just right. I wish you all the best! I hope you will keep searching within and find your answers. Take care! Happy New Year!

Hi! Congratulations on your surgery!!! Your first day post-op sounds pretty typical, I think. You will notice an amazing difference in the next day or two, I believe. Have you tried hugging a pillow to your chest/abdomen to cough? Did you come home with your inspirometer? You already know that you need to get the stuff out, so I won't say that. The first few days, I could not reach the goal on that device...but I kept trying. It gets better! You won't be able to get much down the first day or two. Did your surgeon give you a table of how much to drink when? Every surgeon is different, but mine gave me a guideline of drinking one to two ounces every 15-20 minutes, sipping very slowly. Gas pain in the chest and left shoulder or pain right under your left rib can be common too. It gets better once the gas gets moving. Walking around helps get the gas moving too. I'm so happy for you to be starting this journey! Take care and know that there are lots of nice people here that are so helpful and supportive. I wish you all the best!! :laugh:

Please call your doctor. I hope you feel better soon!

I had asked my surgeon because at my pulmonary eval. pre-op, the pulmonologist suggested that you wouldn't be able to use your CPAP. My surgeon reassured me though that it was perfectly fine to use it and that I should bring it to the hospital. I asked, "What about the pressure?" He asked me what mine was set to, and I said nine. He said he sees many patients with way higher pressure settings and there's never a problem. Did you ask your surgeon? I'm sure you'll get the same response, but when it doubt, always communicate with your doctor. Have a great surgery!!! Congratulations!

Hello! I have a small weight update: 258 as of today's 2nd post-op. Thank you for maintaining the sheet!! Happy New Year! Go Go Notorious Novembers!!!

I am so sorry about your father!! I just wanted to send some healing and peaceful thoughts your way. The holidays really should never be a time when anybody loses loved ones. I'm so sorry! I'm an 11/4/08 bandster. I just had my 2nd post-op and first fill this morning. I didn't know all the details before the surgery as far as capacity and all, but I assumed I came out of surgery with no fill. Today, I asked the questions to find out that I had a 3cc fill at surgery with a 10cc cap. I have lost 13 pounds since the surgery. My surgeon said that was good, I'm healed and tolerating foods, so now he would give me some help to get it going a little quicker to where I would not have to do all the measuring. So I now have 1.5 cc more today. I feel sooooooo much more restriction now. I think you are doing very well!!! Every BODY is different. I love LBT for the support that is here, but it seems like one of the dangers is the statistical side of it. When you talk to someone in chat, right away they want to know how much you've lost so far. It's like we are always making mental notes of how others are doing, and naturally we look to ourselves and say, "Well how come I haven't lost 20 pounds this week?" Well, maybe that person did not have to do a pre-op nutrition period for their insurance and just went from eating 2,500 cal a day to what, 800? And if you lost weight pre-op, then you were already consuming less, right? How can there be a dramatic drop if you were already consuming quite a bit less? It's still a progression... but you have to look at the big picture. The big picture is that this is not a temporary tool. I fully expect to get to my goal and be able to maintain that goal once I get there, not start all over again. Isn't that the problem? Aren't we all good at losing weight... just not good at keeping it off? Isn't the band more of a bookmark? It holds your place. It keeps you in that spot for later. So if I lose a pound that I never gain back, I think the band did it's job. Yeah, when you are heavy, what the heck is a pound worth... but two months ago, I could have easily put on a pound by just walking by the cookie jar. Hang in there, November buddy! You are right on track! I'm looking forward to what your future posts will bring. And again, I'm so sorry about your loss.

Was not as scary as I thought, but I still acted like a baby. My surgeon tried to comfort me, and I tried to be funny. I said, "I forgot to bring my teddy bear." He just chuckled. It really was just a little pinch like everyone said...but you know, you have to try it yourself before you are convinced, right? ha ha ha So I asked what my band capacity was, which I was not sure of before. I have a 10cc band, and at the surgery, he placed 3cc at that time. So he asked if I wanted one or two, but decided to go right in the middle and give me 1.5 cc. I came home and mixed up a packet of low sugar Quaker oatmeal with milk. That was an hour ago, and I still feel really, really full... in fact, it's almost a little uncomfortable. Yay! We have more restriction!!! The scale had only moved three pounds since my post-op on 11/14. I wasn't disappointed, but he said it was time to get things moving now. I'm really excited!!! Happy New Year!! :confused:

Congratulations!!! Once you get those gas bubbles out, you will feel fantastic! ha ha ha I'm glad you are healing and that you also found this site! Everybody here that I have met has been so helpful and friendly. Check out the chat room when you get a chance. Lots of great ideas come up in there. Welcome!

Have you had some blood work lately? I thought I was always tired due to sleep apnea... and then in my pre-op testing, it was discovered I also was anemic. Once I got some help to correct that, I felt so much less exhausted. The member above who suggested you see your regular doctor or OB made a good point. It's funny, reading the responses brings me to the thought, "The grass is always greener on the other side." I know that I am someone who always feels like everyone else in the world is having an easier time than I am. How do we overcome that feeling? I'm so glad that you spoke up here so that maybe you can see that you are not alone, and this frustration doesn't have to be the end of it all...or a permanent condition. Sometimes we just have to vent and work out our thoughts out loud. I hope you will get some relief and an opportunity to feel renewed and refreshed. Please keep visiting, if it helps you. You don't realize it, but your posts also help others, so you are valuable. I wish you lots of success and resolution to your struggles!! Congratulations on the new baby!!

So, Karen... let me ask this.... what really makes you feel good?? What activity do you really enjoy? It doesn't have to be exercise related. It doesn't have to be food related. Do you have a hobby you haven't done a while? You have this gift of a vacation until the 5th. You need some good distraction! Do something fun for you that you haven't done in a while, and I bet you will forget all about this wall. Yes, this wall is there, but you have the power to blink it away. Don't feel like you are falling apart just because your regular routine is on a break. You can still stay on track and enjoy yourself. Be creative! You are doing a great job!!!! You will continue to reach your goal. :tongue_smilie:

I saw that program series over a year ago, and it really opened my eyes to so much.... 1. What the future could hold for me if I didn't change my habits. 2. That the larger you get, the more dangerous surgery becomes. 3. Every day is a new opportunity to make a change. What I noticed was that very, very large people in this facility were making really good progress. Some of them were walking again. Many had gotten their lives back. But then they went home and did not stick to their rules, and they ended up right back where they started. Do you remember the guy that they wouldn't turn away, but yet he continuously ordered take-out food to be delivered to him. I kept thinking, "I would love for someone to make my meals. All you have to do at this place is eat the healthy food they give you and exercise! Why would he throw all that away? But then I look inside of myself and see that I am weak too and was giving into the food rather than listening to my common sense. I think you should be freaking out right now... but in a good way. If you don't freak out at what could become of a person who doesn't get their life under control and how the world treats them, then what will motivate you to take action now? You are doing the right thing -- DECIDING TO MAKE A CHANGE. Regardless of the method you use...just the fact that you are at this point in your life that you want to make things different for yourself is all the fuel you need to get you started. I think watching that program convinced me -- I didn't like the pain I was in, and if I didn't change, it could get worse...and I could eventually be in a facility like that begging for help and having hundreds and hundreds of pounds to lose. I kept moving forward towards my surgery approval, and I'm glad I freaked out when I did. You keep thinking the "What if" thoughts even though you are convinced the band is a great tool. I hope you will put this in your head.... "What if I get the band and follow the rules?" The answer will simply be... "I will lose the weight and keep it off." What-ifs don't have to be negative. Just turn them around. What if I lose ten pounds? What if I lose 30 pounds? What if I lose 100 pounds? Woo-hoo!!! That would be great, right? Sure, there are struggles along the way, but everyone is different...and out of 30 posts about the band... perhaps only one out of those 30 will be someone expressing difficulty, and that difficulty is momentary...not always constant. To me, that seems like great odds. I wish you all the best!! February will be here soon enough!

Though I'm not local to you, I noticed nobody has replied to your post yet, and just wanted to offer some hugs to you. This is your healing period. Changes are taking place, and many people don't see them right away. This is the time for you to be gentle with your stomach while it recovers from the trauma it just experienced. Soon you will start noticing differences. It may not be a change on the scale right away, but possibly extra room in your pants and so forth. Please don't be discouraged yet. You are already on your way to a successful journey, and I wish you all the best!! I hope you find someone nearby that can bring you some comfort. If not, there's lots of great people here that are always willing to listen! Congratulations!!!

(Sung to the tune of Winter Wonderland) Holidays....and there's Cookies but I'm okay...not even lookin' I'm happy this way, pushin' sweets away... Livin' in a Lap Band Wonderland! Everything.... smells so darn yummy but there's a helper in my tummy... I can have a little taste, but it won't go to my waist... Livin' in a Lap Band Wonderland! In the kitchen you can have some turkey... and be happy you had some Protein... watch out for that uncle with the candy... he's teasing you just to be so mean.... You can say, you did a great job... 'Cause in your tum, is not a big blob.... of sugar and carbs and stuff that makes you sob... Livin' in a Lap Band Wonderland! Happy Holidays everybody!! Go confidently and enjoy your season!!! :sad::thumbup::tt2:

Thanks for testing it out!!! LOL!!! I'm happy to report I didn't do too bad last night Yay!:tongue2:

Heather reminded me of something I meant to say in my first message.... Look at this way... it is just a small bit as opposed to handfuls of days past! That alone is quite an accomplishment, right??? One cookie or 20 Cookies??? Hmmmm...I think one cookie is quite an improvement!

Hey, we are human! I have been experiencing the same problem too. I was only banded on 11/4 and do not have any fill yet, so if I don't measure carefully, I will eat more than I should. Besides the sweets, the problem I'm dealing with is that I'm finally a good girl and looking for Protein first, but everyone seems to only want to serve breads and starches! I went to a birthday party three hours away, so I was a captive guest, and the menu was pizza, Cookies, and cupcakes. In the morning, she served pancakes. (Does not know I was banded.) Tonight at Christmas Eve at an aunt's, the menu is going to be lasagne and garlic bread, followed by cakes and pies. ACK!!!!! (They don't know I've been banded either.) So though I'm sooooo tempted, I told myself this... stick to the three meals only with no snacking, and if you are going to have something sweet, pick the one thing that is your most favorite... not a sampling of it all....but only the one that is really, really worth it, and keep it within limits. I can't really whip out the kitchen scale in front of everybody, and I'm starting to get better at estimating portions, but today I'm going to practice identifying 1/2 a cup. ha ha ha Gotta study up before dinner!!! ha ha ha Hang in there!!! Happy holidays, and don't forget you have the strength to overcome those urges. Look how far you have gotten so far!!!

Hey, thanks for clarifying! I was too embarrassed to ask that same question, and I've been running through the possibilities in my head off and on for quite a few days! ha ha ha I had settled on "Noticeable Surgery Validation", but non-scale victory makes much more sense now. LOL