Barbara12375

I haven't posted lately. I have been somewhat discouraged with my progress. I'm stuck at this weight and it won't budge. I don't feel any restriction and I have to wait until next week for another fill. I really thought this would be easier. I know from many years of experience that I will not stick to a diet for any extended period of time. I really wanted a tool that would "make" me adhere. Sorry, just feeling a little hopeless today. I would be interested in a June anniversary get together. I vote for Vegas or possibly a cruise. Sedona in June might be a little much. Hope everyone who has had their second fill will start reporting great results soon............I need some light at the end of the tunnel.

Guess I am getting discouraged. I thought I had good restriction after my fill last Thursday and now I find I am back to eating anything I want. I'm not sure I ever had restriction ............ think it was just fear. Hummmmmmm. Guess I'll wait until next week and call for a re-fill. Drink, drink, drink. I have also started exercising seriously this week. Hopefully things will be ok until I get another fill.

What am I missing? Toilet paper?

Congratulations Melissa. Kim.............Please give it a little time. I had my first fill last Thursday and I was starting to wonder if it was working too. This morning I fixed my grandson a waffle for breakfast and decided I would eat a little one. HA! Two bites and I knew it wasn't going to work. Yes, my fill is working.

Happy Sunday Morning to all, I got my first fill on Thursday morning. It was an eye opening experience for me. Up until the fill I have been eating pretty much anything I want. If I didn't chew good enough there were uncomfortable moments and only one time did I get real uncomfortable and did the slime thing. The fill needle was only a little uncomfortable as I am still pretty tender at the port site. She filled me with 1.5cc. I then stood (with needle still in) at the flouroscope and drank the barium...........nothing went through. She withdrew .3cc and I drank again and it went through very slowly so she withdrew another .2cc. Just watching the liquid go through the band area gave me a whole new prospective on chewing. The gal said the opening is now about the size of the cap that she took off the needle or smaller than a pencil. That is small! I now understand why we can't take pills without crushing and why we shouldn't drink and push our food into the "tiny" opening. Consequently I have been very very careful. I've had mostly liquids. I ate some crablegs with butter on Friday night and I chewed it to pure mush. As of Thursday I'd lost 20 pounds and I've lost a couple more since then so I'm not complaining. Like everyone is saying, it's like we are just now beginning this journey for real. The area around my port was pretty tender after the procedure and later that night it got real sore. I worried that the saline might have been leaking out. Did anyone else notice that? Please keep posting your experiences. I look forward to reading how everyone is tolerating things. Think thin!

Ok Guys............ Someone needs to help me understand a couple things. I go for my fill in a couple days and hope to get some answers then but I know you guys already know everything there is to know............. Some of the instructions seem inconsistent. Why are we not suppose to drink with meals? Someone said the Water helps push the food through the band and you don't feel full. Right? So why do we chew, chew, chew to make the food small enough to pass through? Why do we have to crush our pills or take liquid medicine? What happens if they are too big to pass through? Won't they still disolve in our small upper stomach and do their thing? I was scheduled for my fill last week but I cancelled the appointment because I had an infection and was on antibiotics and just generally felt like crap. I'm looking forward to getting filled on Thursday. I have been eating anything and everything without much issue. I get really hard/nasty hiccups if I eat too fast...........is anyone else experiencing that? I've lost nearly 20 pounds but I'm not sure why. I know I have the wrong attitude but I don't want to be deprived of the foods that I love. I still eat whatever I want. I am hoping I can lose the weight by simply eating much less than I used to, not by counting calories, fat grams, etc. I'm enjoying hearing everyone's experiences with their fill. I'll let you know how mine goes on Thursday.

Juliegeraci, yes, I feel that I need a fill. I was banded on the 9th and I have only had a couple times that I felt like I had any restriction at all. Sometimes if I don't chew things really good it seems to stick but it soon passes and I can keep on eating. I've lost 14 pounds but I lost that in the first week and the second week has been at a stand still. I am way ready for a fill.

Happy Monday Morning. I've been out of touch a little these last few days. I've been reading but not posting. On day 5 post-op I was getting a little stir crazy and somewhat depressed. My husband decided to take me to our favorite casino in Lake Charles, LA. We checked in Wednesday and came home Saturday night. It was great for me. It got me out and moving. I didn't have access to the exact foods that I am suppose to have but between the buffet and all the other restaurants I did ok. I ate a lot of foods sooner than my diet schedule allows. I didn't have any problems and I am surprised. I know that Dr. Spivak doesn't fill your band until a month and I hope that comes soon. Like many others here have said, "I am not feeling any restrictions at all". I'm not eating enough volume to hurt myself but my weight loss has definitely subsided. I have lost 14 pounds but nothing in the last few days. I am trying to get back on track this morning. I'm going back to my Protein drink. Good luck to all those getting banded this week.

Wecome to the banded side. I sure hope you continue to feel good. My recovery has been mostly uneventful. I'm still quite sore but not much actual pain. My dizziness is almost gone. I'm wanting food today. Seems it's all I think about. Take care of yourself and keep us posted.

I am hooked on mashed potatoes in chicken broth. I bought the ready made mashed potatoes and I put a couple scoops in some chicken broth. Yummmmm.

Sissi, You're getting the same thing that I get. Let me know if you figure it out, I am tired of messing with it too.

It's good to see something on here from you. I was getting a little concerned. I've not heard of dilated pupils from anesthesia. I am still dealing with dizziness. I thought it was getting better but this morning it's bad again. It's causing some nausea but not unbearable....yet. Any thoughts from anyone out there will be appreciated. I ate a few bites of oatmeal this morning with real sugar. Someone had suggested that I might need the sugar. I willing to try most anything at this point. Happy Monday to all. Good luck to who are being banded this week and to those of us who are still recovering.

I really shouldn't complain as my surgery and recovery are going great. My only concerns is dizziness. I'm talking serious dizzy like the room is spinning upside down and inside out. It only last a second or two but it's scarry and very yucky. So far I haven't gotten sick from it. Last night I took off the patch from behind my ear. I am hoping that was the reason for spinning. Dr. Spivak's nurse called yesterday to see how I was doing and she really didn't have any answer regarding the dizziness. Has anyone experienced this? If so, how long did it last.

I found out yesterday that my insurance is not going to cover my surgery and I'm so mad because I have wasted six weeks. I was planning to self pay and then had a thread of hope for the insurance..anyway...I called Dr. Spivak's office this morning (Tues.) to see when I could get scheduled and they had a cancellation for this Friday (6/9) and I'm on the schedule! I am so excited and scared all at once. Please say a prayer for me if you're so inclined or at least keep me in your positive thoughts. I am going to be 60 in September and this is my present to me. My primary doctor says this should add an additional ten years to my life and trust me, I've got lots of livin' yet to be done. This is one excited Grandma! Barbara

I was supposed to be on a low carb diet prior to surgery but I kept waiting for a scheduled date to start the diet. Then I got a chance to take a cancellation date that was only four days away. No time for any real dieting. So far post-op (24 hours ago) I am having absolutely no problems. So I'm thinking the pre-op diet is not all that important. I wouldn't begin to recommend that you ignore your doctor's orders but I can only say that I had surgery with no pre-op and I'm ok.

Most of my postings have been on the June 2006 thread. My surgery was as uneventful as one could expect. I am so glad it is over. I slept most of yesterday and now at 4 a.m. Saturday, I am wide awake. My pain has been minimal with no pain meds yet. I'm not so naive as the think it's all over. I have only had Water and chicken broth with no problems with either. I had some major vertigo during the night. Hopefully that is done. Makes me afraid to get on my feet....fear of falling head over heals. Thanks for eveyone's thoughts and concern. It's been a major help to have others watching out for you even though we've never met.

Hi Guys, This may not make sense but thought I'd try a line or two. Dr. Spivak had some kind of scheduling mix up was very apologetically two hours late. Surprisingly the time went pretty fast. I ran into Melissa as soon as I got there, she was scheduled two hours ahead of me so she was still in the waiting room with her Aunt. We were able to chat off and on while we waited and we were together in step-down recovery. The biggest thing I am feeling now is sleepy. I'm sure the pain, etc is yet to come. So far I have not had anything eventful to report. I have napped all afternoon and I'm up moving about now. The ride home seems to take forever, not because of any real pain..............I justed wanted my own bed. Very little gas, sipping water is uneventful. I just warmed some chicken broth and I'm looking forward to that. Hopefully Melissa is doing great too. I'll keep you updated on my progress. Thanks for all you good thoughts and prayers! Keep em' coming. Happy week-end to all.

It's 5:45 a.m. and I am off to "Banding Land". Yippee!

I just wanted to tell you I know exactly how you are feeling. Although I didn't get insurance approval, when I called to tell the doctor I was going to be self-pay and wanted a date as soon as possible and was told they could take me in four days, I nearly freaked! We research, we think, we ponder, we talk to family and friends, we jump through hoops, we get tests done, we go to seminars, we read hundreds of postings but it isn't really real until they say, "we can do it on Friday"!!! Tomorrow is my "Friday". I have no doubts or serious fears, but I am bouncing off the walls with excitement. I'm almost 60 years old and I feel like a kid on Christmas Eve. I love these Junebie postings. Everyday I think about those of you who are getting banded today and look forward to updates from those of you who had your surgeries in the last few days. I wish you all well and hope you will be sending me positive vibes tomorrow.

Well insurance let me down. I wasted 6 weeks but when I called the doctor's office they have had a cancellation this Friday, June 9th and I'm taking it! Yippee! I am so excited and scared at the same time. I can't think of anything else. David is being a poop about it........... it's all about the money, not my health or happiness. I won't let it get me down. I'm doing this for me and me alone. I have to be there at 8 a.m. and it should be finished and out of there by noon. Wow! It's really going to happen. I have wished for this for years and now that it's here, I can't believe it.

Well insurance let me down. I wasted 6 weeks but when I called the doctor's office they have had a cancellation this Friday, June 9th and I'm taking it! Yippee! I am so excited and scared at the same time. I can't think of anything else. David is being a poop about it........... it's all about the money, not my health or happiness. I won't let it get me down. I'm doing this for me and me alone. I have to be there at 8 a.m. and it should be finished and out of there by noon. Wow! It's really going to happen. I have wished for this for years and now that it's here, I can't believe it.

It's great to hear from other Dr. Spivak patients. I was very impressed with him during my orientation visit. I don't have a time yet (they are to call me tomorrow morning) so who knows, Melissa, we may be there together. Yes, I'm nervous too, but it's a good nervous...........not dreading anything....just wanting to get on with things. Good luck to all!

I just found out today and I'm very excited. My e-mail address is BarbLeach@sbcglobal.net. I'd love to be added to the June group. I am a self-pay with Dr. Spivak in Houston. Since I am taking a cancellation spot I don't have much time for pre-op diet. Hopefully that won't cause complications afterward. The gal in his office said many people don't follow any pre-op diet and that I shouldn't be concerned. Does anyone have any insight?

I'd love to attend but we already have plans for the holiday weekend. Hopefully there will be another get together soon.

I am excited to be on this website. I am awaiting banding by Dr. Spivak. I am hoping for the second week in June. I've been researching and contemplating this surgery for over a year and now that the decision is made, I can't wait. Reading the postings here have answered so many questions that I hadn't even thought of. Thanks to you all. The before and after photos are so inspriing.