juliegeraci

Becky, that is truly unbelievable. I am so happy for you!

You may want to get a second opinion. I was at my surgeon's office a week or so ago and there was a woman there that was banded. She looked close to 400 lbs. No preop diet. My doctor doesn't do them.

I had mine removed almost 7 years ago, 5 years preop. There wasn't a problem at all.

Ariel, what she did to you is completely unfair. 4 appetizers, good grief! I would tell her you can only contribute $20 to her meal.

Congrats to you. I know insurance can be tricky so that is great. Good luck in your journey. Julie from CA.

Hi Jenn, you need to be patient with fills. It can take several to reach optimal level of restriction. Sometimes its as little as .1 ccs. If he took out 1 cc then maybe your sweet spot is .5 or .8 more. Good luck with your fills and weight loss. Julie from CA.

Good for you. Congrats on your weight loss to date.

Don't feel bad. In January 07 we paid $782 for our 4 br, 2 bath house with a pool in CA. Fastforward to July 08. We have been reassessed for our property taxes at $540k. That is a $240k difference in only 18 months. I have no other option except dump it or stay. We are staying for now. Good luck.

most likely it is just a pulled muscle. You have have pulled out a stich as well. I would call your surgeon regardless to ask if you should heat or ice it.

Does it happen before or after you eat? What you are describing is either gas, restriction or swelling. I would go to your surgeon and tell him.

Jennifer, keep going back for fills until you can eat 1/2 cup of food, 800-1k calories (no more than 1200) and can go hours without feeling hungry. It took me 2 years and in fact just last week I finally hit my sweet spot after 20+ attempts. You have to be patient. Fills are typically small and it takes quite a few. Julie in CA.

Hi Grammy, I am 5'8" tall and we have similiar stats. I weighed 320 at my highest and was banded at 282. I am now 215, about 20 lbs from goal. The lapband is the best tool there is. You have control over your portion sizes and your hunger. I can go hours and hours without eating in between meals. I have no food cravings whatsoever. My relationship with food has totally changed. I now eat for nutrition as appose to cravings. Good luck in your decision. Its totally worth it.

Hi Rain, that is great honey. Sorry about the gown. Mine was big on me too when I went for my latest OBGYN appointment. And today at our corporate offices where I occassionally visit an old friend she he didn't recognize me. Now that is inspiration.

A sweet spot is when you have good restriction, you are losing 1-2 lbs a week, you are not as hungry and you don't PB. So its the perfect fill. Took me 2 years to get there. Don't feel bad.

That is fantastic news. You go girl!

I had a lot of PBing on 3.2. He removed .3 and took me down to 2.9. I was starving and gaining really quickly. He took me back up to 3.13, then 3.18. I was still gaining and starving so he took me up to 3.45 (past 3.2 which I PB'd a lot on). I have yet to PB again. The band is really fickle when it comes to restriction. I would recommend a slight unfill of .3 to see if that helps first, then .2 more if it doesn't. Another alternative is to move to liquids for a couple days followed by mushies then solids. Take small bites of everything and eat really slow. Good luck. Julie in CA.

Hi Leslie, I am on Weight Watchers. I follow the core program. It is comprised of meats, fish, chicken, all the protein you want. Vegies and fruits . The only carbs you have besides the fruits are brown rice and whole grain pastas, no bread. You get 35 points a week to eat whatever you want outside of the core plan. ie. alcohol, bread, mayo, etc. My mom's friend has lost 100 lbs on the core program. You eat unlimited until you are full. I have such a great fill now that I only at a 1 point weight watcher yogurt yesterday, 3 plums, 1 hard boiled egg, 1/2 chicken breast and zucchini for dinner. I love going to the meetings. I have 23 lbs to lose with a 15 lb stretch goal. Julie from CA.

You are doing great. Now is the time to take care of yourself and heal. Don't push it. If you are on liquids try creamy soup. The milk has protein and for some reason it really helped me during that stage. 6 lbs is wonderful. Remember life as a bandster is a journey not a destination. I've been banded 2 years and it is definitely a life style with a band. Good luck to you! YOu are doing great.

I am sorry this happened to you. I wish you a speedy recovery. Welcome to bandland.

Hi Ange, I'm 5'8" tall and have flown at the weight. Its a little snug and you may need a seat belt extender but its doable. Don't be embarrassed. You will never see these people again.

I have loss of restriction some nausea, no vomitting. My doctor is going to order a barrium swallow next week. Please advise.

Thanks everyone for the posts. I am doing really well since my fill last week. No PB, no hunger. Tomorrow I go in for my barrium swallow.

If you are tight to liquids then you are too tight. You should be able to eat solid protein, all be it, a little without PBing or having issues. I would have .3 or .5 taken out and see how you do.

I would call and ask your surgeon how long in between fills. Mine makes you wait 2 weeks.

When I read threads like this it saddens me. I really want you to take a close look as to why you were banded to begin with and keep that dream alive. You can most definitely eat around the band. I do drink with meals but I am still losing. I eat no junk food and rarely do I eat junk food out. Please pray about this and give this up to God. It is bigger than you. Obesity is a very serious disease that you have. The band can help you. Start your day tomorrow with some good protein in the a.m. followed by more for lunch and lean protein and vegies for dinner. Snack on good things like fruits and vegies, protein bars help too. Don't sabotage yourself any longer. Love yourself, love your band and the weight will come off. You can do it. PM me if you want to know my story . Its a journey not a destination girlfriend. Julie from CA.