JillBengt

I have to agree with Luluc on this. For me, the lapband is about keeping the weight off. I have been quite successful in the past with Weight Watchers and Jenny Craig, especially when I was your age. I managed to take weight off before and after each of my kids. I made great choices and exercised like crazy. Each time I thought I had made a "lifestyle change". But, of course, the weight would slowly creep back on and as I aged, it became harder and harder to take it off. For you, you are getting a handle on this early and will not have to go through those yo-yo years that many of us do as we get older. I applaud you for that. For me, I just want to be able to get the weight off and keep it off. I don't strive to be a size 2 or wear a bikini, I just want to be healthy for both myself and for my family. I don't tell people that I have had the lapband mostly because I am embarrassed that I let my weight get so out-of-hand that I needed to resort to this in the first place. Even though I consider myself to be a happy, confident person, like many obese people, I have self-esteem issues stemming back from years of humiliation over my weight. I am not striving to be anyone's role model. As far as I am concerned overweight and obese people need to make their own decisions about their weight loss...just as I have. Besides, when someone drops a ton of weight, us overweight people just assume that they have had surgery anyway...it is the skinny people who think we do it with better nutrition and exercise. LOL

Here is an interesting perspective. My friend and I had the surgery within two weeks of each other, hers Dec.29th and mine Jan 13th. My friend decided to tell everyone. I decided to only tell my family (who have been incredibly supportive). My reasoning, which I have not attempted to anyone but you guys, is that I have failed at so many diets that I figured if I failed at this one too, nobody would be any the wiser. From the beginning, people were telling my friend their concerns, encouragements and objections. As a result, she second guessed her decision, although still went through with the procedure. No one said a word to me...no encouragement, no concerns, no criticisms. After her surgery, my friend got immense help from her friends and family. She did not drive or cook or clean for weeks. After my surgery, my dad came to help out with the kids but, after only four days, he was gone, my husband went back to work and I went off pain meds. My surgery was on a Tuesday and I was back carting my sons to their basketball tournaments by Saturday. My recovery was so fast-tracked (although the pain lingered) that no one would even suspect that I had had surgery. My friend got immediate feedback on her weight loss. As I would stand beside her, everyone would rave about how great she looked. Even though I had lost the same amount of weight she had, I kept my mouth shut, happy that she was getting the attention and not me. Incredibly, I had to lose 40 pounds before anyone said anything to me. Now people are really noticing and they have started asking questions. I have just told everyone that I have set a goal of losing as much weight as I can by July in time for a cruise my family is taking (which is the truth). So far no one has questioned me further since they see me outside jogging with sweat pouring down my face and they know I have been working my butt off. Still, I am now wondering if it is best to just tell everyone. My friend wonders if she should have kept her mouth shut.

I understand completely where you are coming from. What is the band good for if you still have to diet and exercise? I think it is important to understand before you are banded what this will mean for you. First of all, you WILL have to diet and exercise just like with any other weight loss program. I exercise every day for at least 40 minutes. Without burning the fat, you will not lose the weight. Of course, everyone loses in the beginning (1st month) but after that it is up to you. I have been banded for 2 1/2 months but almost half of my 42 pound weight loss came in the two week pre-surgery liquid diet. For some people, the band makes them feel full but not all of us get that "sweet spot". I have good restriction but I never get a full feeling (like I did when I used to eat half a pizza...haha)! Instead, if I eat too fast or too much, my pouch gets clogged and the food gets stuck. The pain usually ends the meal. I am a snacker, especially with sweets, and the lapband is difficult for people like me. If I wanted to, I could eat a package of cookies. They never get stuck. I have to make an effort to stay away from those foods. I have heard that the lapband works best for people like you who eat big meals but don't snack a lot between them. As a tool, I think the lap band would be excellent in controlling portion size ONCE the weight is lost (I eat much less now than I did before) but in the actual process of dropping the pounds, the lapband is like any other weight loss program. You have to work to take off the fat. I am happy I did the lapband because I needed something drastic to kick me in the butt and get me moving but this is not gastric bypass. You will not lose weight by just sitting there and watching it fall off you. The lapband is a much slower and healthier way to lose. Hope I haven't confused you further.

AmyMoe, Cute comment from your son! Kids are always honest about your weight...good or bad. My husband is very supportive and tells me often how great I look and how much weight I've lost but...well, he has to! HaHa! However, when I get a positive comment from one of my kids...whoa, watch out! My 8-year-old daughter put her arms around me the other day and said, "Mom, I can hug you all the way around now!" My 12-year-old boy...well, he hasn't actually mentioned my weight loss but he does enjoy meal time impersonations of me! He is absolutely hysterical when he jumps up from the table, pounds on his chest and screams, "I'm stuck!" My 14-year-old son, has been the most positive. He is always telling me how good I look and yesterday, in the car, he commented that I was further away from the steering wheel. I wanted to pull over and give him a hug...but, at his age, I am forbidden public displays of affection. HaHa!

Dear GGQ, I have only had the lap band since January 13, 09 so I am no expert but I can tell you that I had all the same fears as you going into this, especially whether I would have the self control to lose the weight. Looking at the posts on this website before going into surgery, I noticed two types of people...those who loved the band and those who hated it. I am somewhere in between. Here is my honest take on the lap band. I drank liquids for four weeks (2 before and 2 after). I won't lie to you, it was hard...really hard! Especially in the beginning. I was going crazy with the lack of food and the caffeine withdrawal. Somehow I survived and felt stronger for it. The actual surgery was not too tough for me. The worst part was the gas pain in my shoulders. Food does taste different to me, especially fruits. I can't eat any kind of bread. Some things that I used to love to eat I don't like the taste of as much anymore. Of course, I have not had a cheeseburger, or many other things, since the surgery so I can't say if that tastes different. The good thing is, I haven't really had any desire to eat a cheeseburger. Going out with friends is tough. I have anxiety when I go out because I worry about getting stuck and the more anxious I am the higher the likelihood that I do get stuck. I have had to run to the bathroom and throw up on two occasions. Of course, there are scores of people with the lap band that never get stuck and you may well be one of them. For me, however, going out to eat is a painful and embarrassing experience. The good part of the band is that I have lost 40 pounds in about three months. I definitely eat much less than I once did. The bad part is that the weight has not dropped off me. If I don't exercise like crazy, nothing comes off. I don't ever feel full (like others rave about)... but I do get food stuck on a regular basis. Usually that is the end of my dining experience. I think I just assumed going into this that the weight would fall off if you weren't eating as much but it doesn't. You have to work your butt off. Really, it is just a diet with restraint built in (the knowledge that if you eat too much you might throw up is a wonderful deterrent). I have said to my husband that this would be a great tool once you lost the weight but actually losing it...well, you really have to work on it just like you would on Weight Watchers or any other diet program. It would be very easy for me to gain weight back on the lap band. Chocolate slides right down like silk, as does ice cream. If I went back to the way I used to eat them, I would gain everything back. You must learn to exercise restraint just as you would with any other diet. Do I regret getting the band? Sometimes. I get in those moods (usually when I haven't lost weight for a couple of days) when I feel sad about the things I can no longer do, like eating out comfortably and gorging on my favorite foods. But at the same time, I have dropped two clothing sizes, I have improved my health, I can jog without passing out and I am not as tired anymore. I am happy with what I have accomplished and I know as more weight comes off, my lap band will become my friend...just as it has for so many other successful people.

My situation is not the same as yours but I have a quirky problem with the lap band and eating healthy too. I have trouble eating fruits and vegetables. It has been 9 weeks since my surgery (11 since the pre diet) and since I started eating solids, I have had this problem. Every time I eat fruit or raw veggies, even most cooked, I get this strange lump, then an uneasy feeling. Sometimes it gets stuck but more often I just feel strange (like I swallowed something down the wrong tube). Even bananas and sugar-free applesauce produce this strange feeling. I told my doctor about it and he just shook his head like he thought I was a nutcase and said he had no idea why. He said to just avoid those foods for the time being and then reintroduce them somewhere down the line. Of course you can't do that if it is your protein that you are throwing up. Hope it gets better for you!

My doctor offers support groups that include clothing swaps. Maybe you could check into that with your Dr. Clothes are not a problem for me because I still have all my clothes from the way up the weight scale so now, on my way down, I am just pulling the clothes out of storage. It is like new clothes all over again.

AmyMoe, I feel your pain, although it seems getting stuck is a near daily occurrence for me. I flew to Idaho this weekend with my kids so they could ski and snowboard. We stayed with relatives who knew nothing of my lapband surgery. Anyway, I think I get nervous when I am with people who don't know and everything I ate over the weekend seemed to get stuck. I kept having to excuse myself, go to the bathroom, and bend over and touch my toes. It was not a pleasant experience. One night, my uncle made steak, which, of course, I am not allowed to eat. I couldn't tell him that, though, so I cut up the meat into tiny pieces and managed to get a few bites down. Every time he and his wife looked away, I would grab a piece of steak, thrust it under the table and feed it to the dog! Didn't get real full that dinner but at least I made a lifelong friend with the pooch!

I understand what you are going through. I had my first fill three weeks ago and for the first two weeks, everything (and I mean everything) got stuck. Liquids went down like a lump in my throat. I threw up several times. I was miserable. To top it off, I wasn't losing any weight. I was really questioning my judgement in getting the lap band. I decided to stick it out and wait for my next appointment on March 12th. Well, miraculously, the band gradually loosened. Now I am tight but I can usually get down most things. I still get stuck a few times a week but it is not nearly as painful as before. The weight is now starting to come off again. Weird. Maybe you need some time like me...but if you have to stand to eat, you may be even tighter than I was.

AmyMoe, I lost 2 pounds right off the bat after getting a fill on Feb. 12, then stopped losing weight completely, despite being too tight and getting nearly every meal stuck! I gained and lost the same pound for nearly two weeks and then one day I just magically started losing again. I don't know why this happens. I changed my exercise routine slightly and maybe that was the thing that tipped the titter-totter. No clue. It is very frustrating but you WILL get over that hump. Hang in there!

Definitely PB. Same thing happened to me a few weeks ago. I threw up and dry heaved about an hour after going out to dinner. I was fine during dinner but once I got home I felt nauseous. 15 minute later up it came (but not much food, mostly liquids), followed by several dry heaves. Then it was over as soon as it started and I felt fine again. If it was the flu you would still be feeling sick.

Just like you, I had terrible shoulder pain. It felt like a knife slicing me through my shoulders. I discovered that stress intensified the problem. Four days after surgery, my husband returned to work and it was up to me to get my kids to their sporting events. It was very stressful to get them all to different places, sometimes in different cities on time and the pain flared up. It was so bad at one point that I had to pull over on the freeway because I thought I was going to die. Nothing I did stopped the agony. I remember just bawling in the car with my kids looking on like I was a crazy woman. The pain eventually subsided but for me it took nearly three weeks although it became more infrequent and shorter in duration. Still now, 6 weeks after surgery, I will sometimes get a pang of shoulder pain here and there. Gas-X didn't help me...nor did walking (I was walking 3 miles a day by the 5th day post-op) The only thing that gave me relief was to lie on the shoulder that was in pain. That sometimes shifted the the gas bubble but not always. Good luck, my heart goes out to you...I feel your pain.

I was so hungry post-op that I was actually doubling over in pain. What I found so strange was that I was already on a liquid diet two weeks prior to sugery. My body was already used to the restricted diet yet still I was starving. The good news is once you get on mushies the hunger pains should go away. I still get hungry but nothing like the pain of those first 10 days after surgery. Hang in there!

My friend and I are doing this lapband together. She is exactly 2 weeks ahead of me. She had a fill, the exact same amount as my fill, two weeks ago and she does not have the same problems. She fills slightly tighter now than before but still feels hungry. She doesn't feel that she gets full. She has only experienced getting stuck twice, once before the fill and once after. I, on the other hand, have been stuck more times than I can count. It is not that the fill has curbed hunger or made me full, it is just that I am too scared and in too much pain to focus on it anymore. Today is definately better. The egg salad and crackers went down fairly well. I chewed so hard that I looked like a chipmunk but it went down without too much hassle. I thought for a second that it might get stuck but I waited for the gurgling to pass and then I continued. Here is my theory and it is probably stupid but here it goes...I think that people who can burp are less prone to getting stuck. I think burping forces the food to clear faster. My friend burps all the time and it is quite embarrassing for her but she says that she will be eating and feel pressure then she will burp and can feel the food roll down. Those of us who have never been blessed with the ability to burp (despite growing up in a household of brothers), have more difficulty because we have to rely on the gurgling to help move the food. It sometimes takes hours. Yesterday I was in my car making all the burping noises hoping for a real, honest-to-God burp to erupt from somewhere within but nothing happened. The chicken stayed lodged in the pouch for a good 2 hours. I was gurgling the entire time. Let me know how the rest of you feel about my completely unscientific burp theory.

My doctor told me to be on liquids for 12-24 hours and then to resume solids. I tried some mushie foods 24 hours out but they didn't settle well so I went back to liquids until yesterday's events. Now for lunch, I am going to try eating egg salad with crackers and see what happens. Wish me luck.

I thought the same thing before my fill. I would have been happy not to eat but now I am not so sure. The feeling of being stuck, the sliming, the burning pain, the nausea...it really is awful. The big problem for me yesterday was that I was away all day for a basketball tournament that my boys were in. We were out of town and I had no choice but to go to restaurants with other people. I drank a protein shake before leaving at around 9:30 and, because the games were delayed, didn't eat anything else until 2:30 when the boys' entire team (and their parents) decided on lunch at Subway. By then I was starving but I knew I could not get a sandwich because I can't get bread through my band at all right now. I tried a piece of grilled chicken on a bed of lettuce. Mindful of my situation and that I was with a bunch of friends who knew nothing about my situation, I took miniscule bites and chewed really good. It didn't take more than three bites for me to get stuck. My mouth started sliming and my chest was burning then I turned a lovely shade of white just as the nausea set in. I kept making excuses to leave the table and go outside. After 20 minutes of this, I was still fully stuck and feeling awful. I didn't eat another bite of my food and everyone was looking at me pretty strange. Someone commented about me not eating and I lied and said I thought I got a piece of chicken stuck in the wrong tube. Things only got worse for me though because after my boys team won the championships (yeah!), they all decided on a celebration dinner at a pizza place. I had only managed to get those chicken pieces through the band (took 2 hours to pass) and was now faced with the daunting task of eating in front of those same people again. I prayed for a cup of soup on the menu to no avail so I settled for a piece of pizza. Again knowing that I couldn't eat the bread, I merely scraped the toppings off the pizza. It went better this time. I managed to eat about 3/4 of the toppings off one slice of pizza before getting stuck AGAIN! There I go again, sliming, turning white and disappearing into the bathroom. My friends must of thought I was crazy. It makes me laugh now but at the time I was completely miserable. So today I am home and have only had a protein shake and even that took me 15 minutes to get down. Water is fine for me though. Oh well, at least I am dropping weight like crazy. I guess my advice to all of you (and myself) is careful what you wish for!

Hello fellow January 13th banders! I had my first fill on Thursday. It was not bad at all. I had to drink three glasses of water in the waiting room before I was allowed to leave. That went fine but now I am having alot of trouble eating. Everything is getting stuck and I am only eating mushies and liquids! I think I am too tight but maybe this is how I am supposed to feel?!? I am not hungry but I am terrified to eat. I will call my doctor on Tuesday if things don't get any better. Is anyone else who has had a fill experiencing this?

I threw up tonight for the first time since getting banded on Jan. 13th. Took my boys to their favorite restaurant since their sister was at a father-daughter dance. Everything went perfectly fine during dinner. I chewed the food thoroughly and did not get anything stuck, which has been a problem for me. It was not until I was home that I started feeling strange. Soon, I was sliming and feeling nauseous. I threw up in the kitchen sink in front of my disgusted sons. I am confused by my body's reaction and would like some feedback so I can prevent this from happening again. In the past, any reaction to improper eating has been immediate. What I find so strange about tonight is that it was a delayed response. I made an effort to follow the plan, eating 1/3 of a chicken breast, 1/2 cup baked beans, 1/2 of a side ceasar salad but I did eat two things not on the plan...a garlic dinner roll and a small potato skin. This is clearly the most fat I have eaten since getting banded (as well as my first restaurant experience). Was the throwing up caused by too much fat...too much food? I have not had a fill yet, I get things stuck once in a while and do not feel hungry. I have lost 29 pounds in 5 weeks. I have been very careful so far. I am mad at myself for letting this happen. What have I done? Help!

Jodi_620, I didn't mean you. I think you got a great deal! I meant the $2,500 that 62Peachy was going to pay for the support groups. Of course, if insurance pays for surgery, that might be a good deal. For me, a cash payer, that would be a very steep amount to pay after already having forked over so much. FatRuby....I live in Ventura County. My surgeon is Dr. Billy.

The vomiting happened last night (Saturday) so I have not called my doctor. I will called the RN on Monday. My doctor never gave instructions on what to do AFTER throwing up however I did get pills to prevent it. In fact, I had just popped one in my mouth last night when up it all came. Yuck! I am glad for all you who cannot eat "too much" like me but everyone is different and you should keep that in mind. I can assure you I do not eat like a pig...at least not anymore :thumbdown:. As of this morning I have lost 30 pounds in about 6 weeks so I think I am doing great! But the reality is, I have not had a fill yet and I have no restriction. I feel like I can eat anything. The reason I don't is because I measure everything at home. I never get full but I am not necessarily hungry either. At home, I just finish eating what I have measured out on my plate and I am done. If there is no restriction and no "full feeling" it is hard to know when to stop. I do hope that with my first fill on Thursday, I will achieve what so many have already seem to have with their bands...fullness.

Thanks for all the replies. Yes, I agree I ate too much. Since it was my first experience in a restaurant and without my trusty measuring cups, I only estimated. During the actual dinner, I did follow the protein first rule, then the salad then the starch. The roll and the potato skin, however, came as an appetizer about 15-20 minutes before. At the time, it seemed an acceptable amount to eat but once I wrote what I ate down in this post, I could see that it was WAY too much. Dumb! To answer everyone, yes, I am on regular foods now. My surgeon has everyone on a liquid diet two weeks before surgery as well as 10 days after. Then 10 days on mushies. I started regular foods on February 4th. My doctor never gave us a list of foods to eat. Basically at this stage we can eat whatever we want as long as it is weighed and measured and around 1200 a day. This plan has worked very well for me so far but it has definately been a learning curve. Through unpleasant experiences, I now know to stay away from bread and rice and fruit and raw veggies and soft tortillas. Anything crunchy like crackers or Romain lettuce work fine. I have the benefit of having a great friend to do this with me. She is two weeks ahead of me with the lapband. The only problem with this is that when I try foods that work great for her, they don't always work great for me. For example, she can eat any fruit or vegetable, raw or cooked. I, on the other hand, get them stuck (even mushie bananas and applesauce and most cooked veggies). Everyone's bodies react differently to the band. I am glad this experience happened though. Sometimes it takes a slap in my face to learn what is and is not a no-no!

Derbin247, I am in Camarillo, California. Just curious which surgeon you are using. I used Dr. Billy. Three-weeks post-op.

I know just how you feel. After being told that I would be covered for surgery if I completed all the pre-surgery consultations and tests (Upper GI, Ultrasound, nutritionist, sleep test, Cardiologist exam, lab work, a psych evaluation and a stress test), I jumped right on it. Once all my tests were done and the paperwork was finally in, I waited three weeks to get word from my insurance company (even calling daily) and was devasted to learn I had been denied. The reason? While my insurance company covers lapband, my husband's company's policy prohibits all weight loss surgery. It really was a crushing blow! After a long talk with my husband, we both decided it was in my best interest and that of our children if I had the surgery so we dipped into our savings to pay for it. Still, I feel like I lost three months. Instead of having surgery 3 weeks ago, I could have had it in October. Oh well, at least I am on the right track...27 pounds lighter. Hang in there. I wish I had more encouraging words.

Jodi_620, My doctor offers the after care to his cash paying patients for $1000.00. This includes all fills and doctor's visits for a lifetime. If you are also a self-paying patient, I think that amount of money for aftercare is very steep. If you are using insurance (I was denied), check with your company to see if you have a cap on weight loss related procedures. Some insurance companies only allow you a specific amount of money and then once you go over that amount, you are on your own. Also check to see if your doctor is a preferred provider. This may drop your aftercare care costs dramatically. The going rate for a doctor's visit and fill (without insurance) is about $250.00 so for me, the $1,000 dollars was a steal! I am only three weeks into the band so I don't know all the ends and outs but I learned alot about the industry in the last few months while fighting with my own insurance company. Good luck!

I have only had the band two and a half weeks and have been stuck three times (only been eating mushy food for 1 week)! Here is how I describe it and how I have been able to get relief. I think of the band as a funnel. The food goes down, fills up the pouch above the band then slowly slides down through the "funnel". If you eat too fast or don't chew well enough, the top of the "funnel" can get clogged. You are officially stuck! Water doesn't help because it can't get through the clogged funnel either. So how do you unclog the funnel? My first experience went something like this: I happily ate my mushy banana only to discover that...OMG...chest burning! After pounding on it like King Kong, I preceeded to flail my arms, drink water, wave my arms over my head like a madwoman and generally react like I was dying. My husband jumped in at this point, and told me to lie down flat on my back. As soon as I did this, the "clog" shifted, unplugging the "funnel" and the pain subsided immediately. A few minutes more on my back and I could hear the gurgling as the food was being dissolved. The second time I got stuck, I skipped all the above steps and preceeded directly to the couch. Immediate relief. I can't say it will work for everyone but so far, this is the one and only "cure" I have found. Good luck.