SarahinTyler

I'm scheduled to have Lap-Band surgery August 11. I'm very excited but nervous too. After trying every diet on earth, and failing at all of them, I'm hoping this will help me. I need to lose about 60-70 lbs. But there's that little voice saying, "Why do you think this is going to work when nothing else has?" I'm an emotional eater. I don't have to be hungry to eat. I'll eat when I'm anxious, depressed, stressed, happy, you name it! I would like to know if after getting the Lap-Band, if any of you experienced a decrease in the emotional eating. I hear that you're not hungry but like I said I don't have to be hungry to want to eat. Does the Lap-Band help you to not want food as much? Hope to get some good responses. Thank you. SarahinTyler

This is my first message to post so bear with me. I'm going to get banded this summer. I've been reading a lot of the entries on this website. I'm learning so much from everyone's experiences - what to eat, what not to eat, the golf ball, chew, chew, chew...) My question is this (and I don't know if I'm going to word this adequately) - have the sacrifices that you have had to make (giving up foods you loved before, chewing every bite for a long time, giving up diet drinks, etc) been worth it? The thought of giving up all my comfort food for a long period of time, is very scary. It's been my friend for a long time. But I'm more desperate to lose the weight and I'm hoping if the scale is going down then I won't care if I can't have that ice cream or french fries. Would love some feedback. SarahinTyler

I had my second fill earlier in November. Now I'm having a hard time keeping food down. Actually it's more like food gets stuck much more often. Funny, I can get crap down but I can't keep chicken or beef down. No matter how small the bite or how long I chew it, it gets stuck so I end up going to the bathroom and making it come back up. I'll do anything not to experience that "stuck" feeling. Today was Thanksgiving and even a bite of congealed salad got stuck. I bet I ran to the bathroom 8 times. Finally I gave up and didn't eat anymore. So while everyone else was full and satisfied, I was really hungry. Do you think I need to go have some taken out? Could I be too tight? Like I said, I've had a very hard time getting most anything down since that 2nd fill. Sometimes my body rejects it and I really do throw up or everything seems to get stuck so I go make myself throw up. I know I'm taking very small bites. What should I do?? Sarahintyle Banded 8/11/06 Down 23 lbs

Thanks Vinesqueen for your message. I was also thinking that I might be too tight. I just don't know when to say it's too tight or maybe I'm doing something wrong. Like I said I think I'm taking really small bites and chewing thoroughly. I think I'll call the doctor on Monday. I don't want to damage the band but I'm having to make myself throw up A LOT! I've never heard of the food lube. Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it. Sarahintyler

StrawartsS: That was most helpful and I thank you for taking the time to share all of that with me since you are supposed to be studying!! I hope all of these messages are somewhere I can go back and find them later when I need some inspiration. So my preop jitters are normal. I'm not going to let them talk me out of this. Yes I'm already mourning certain foods and I don't even have the surgery scheduled yet. But I'm going to have faith that I can get through that after the surgery. If I saw this weight coming off, I would be thrilled! Thanks again so much. Now go study and I've GOT to get off this thing and go to bed! Sarah

This was the best thread that I've read so far. I'm new to this site and just discovered it the other day and I can't keep myself off of it. I'm planning on getting banded this summer and I've always wondered if the band could help me because I'm (like all of you) are an emotional eater. I've dwelled on my weight since elementary school (I'm now 46). I could identify with so much of everyone's story. I was a pudgy kid and my brother and sister teased me all the time. I guess I learned to turn to food for comfort and it became my friend (even though I've always had lots of people friends). And it has been my friend ever since. I've worried whether or not the band could help an emotional eater like myself but as I read your stories, I see that there is hope out there for me and that I can do this with the help of the people on this site. I have a three year old and I don't want her growing up with a fat Mom and thinking that it's okay to be fat. I don't want her to grow up with the turmoil that I've felt all these years. Nor do I want her to lose her Mom at an early age because I developed one of the diseases that goes along with being Severely Obese. So I'm praying that the band will help me. Sarah not banded yet current weight 193 5'3" goal 120 something (never have been there)

Okay StrawartsS, since you have so much time on your hands, I'll ask you another question. I'm very much an emotional eater. I sure don't have to hear my stomach growling to begin eating. I can eat because the sun is out. I'm a stay at home Mom so it's hard not to graze all day. A bite of this and a bite of that. :hungry: (Sorry, I'm practicing on using icons.) I'm scared that after banding I'll still feel that need to emotionally eat. I know I'm going to have to do my part to control this but does the band (at least when you get good restriction) help with the need to eat for no reason?? Sarah

StrawartS: Are you on this site all the time?? You are so quick to answer me and I appreciate it. I'm still trying to learn how to navigate around this site. Don't know how to use icons and such. But you crack me up. You are obviously a very funny person. Your replies and the other stuff I've read that you submitted always give me a chuckle. THANK YOU for the answer about the fills. No where on the site or in the information that the doctor gave me explained much. I'm glad to know that after you get the right restriction then you might not have to have as many fills. Loved your "top it off" description. And I can afford $200 every once in a while. I would be pissed off too if I were you that you had to pay more just to get the band filled. That's crazy. Even if your doctor had to increase his price to include the fills for a year, that would look better to his patients. THey would feel like they were getting more for there money - just a little marketing twist he should try. Well thanks for all your questions. My three year old is in the bathtub (right next to where I am) but I guess I better go see if her Water is cold! I keep coming in here to check the site. Sarah

"Yes" to answer StrawartsS question as to whether or not I'm in Tyler, Texas. Thanks for your concern about me being one of my doctor's first patients. That's why I'm going to wait a few months so he can get some surgeries under his belt and I would have some people to talk to. I LOVE this site and all the information that I'm gathering. I appreciate all of you who responded to me. But no one answered the question about how long you have to get fills. Once you find the "sweet spot" does it stay or does it wear off with time? Yes, I think my doctor's fee includes a year of fills but does anyone know what it costs after one year? I sure can't afford to go to the hospital every time if that adds additional costs. It's ridiculous how much a hospital charges to walk in the door. No wonder our health insurance premiums are skyrocketing, but don't get me started. If anyone can give me more information on the fill process and costs, that would be great. Also I was trying to be conscious of how big of bites I take right now and how much I chew. I don't chew, I think I inhale. Taking tiny bites will be a hard thing to do and especially the chewing and chewing. Do you get used to this? Thanks all. It is great to have this site. Sarah

All of your responses have been EXTREMELY helpful. It's nice to know that the preop feelings and anxiety that I'm experiencing are all normal. I started researching this a month ago. Had my first appt with the surgeon last week. Wasn't sure if he would take me because my only problem is that I'm 70lbs overweight. I don't have any of the complications that some people have with obesity. But since my BMI was nearly 36, he agreed to take me. I wanted to do the surgery on May 18. This doctor has done 1000's of gastric bypasses but May 18 will be his first day to do LapBand, BUT he will have a experienced surgeon in the room with him assisting. Anyway, my husband said "NO". He wants me to wait till the doc has done a few and schedule this thing in July or Aug. I guess I've been fat this long, I can wait a couple of more months. My husband is the one who found this site and encouraged me to look at it. Now I'm addicted and can't get off. It has been so helpful. So I guess if all you guys have done this, I can too. I want this weight off so badly so I'm not going to worry about the preop fasting and the post op circumstances. I'm going to take strength from all of you that I can do this! Do you get your fills in the doctor's office or the hospital? This is all out of pocket for me and my doctor hasn't decided if he is going to do them in his office or the hospital. I would think it would cost a fortune if he had to do them in the hospital each time. My other question is this - Do you continue to get fills till you find the "sweet spot" and then that's it? Once you find the sweet spot, it will remain? Or can the sweet spot go away and you have to go find it again? Thanks for all the answers and support. I'm adicted already to this site and I'm not even banded yet! SarahinTyler

Sandybells: Thanks for your reply. You made me feel better. Here's another thing that I'm worried about - I'm a very emotional eater. I don't have to be hungry. I can eat because the sun it out, or the sun isn't out? I would suspect that a lot of obese people are emotional eaters too and that's how we got to this point. I'm worried that I'll still be an emotional eater after I get banded and this will hamper my success. Or does the emotional eating seem to get under control after being banded. Would love a response. Thanks much.