Albacheeser

I just have my first fill yesterday (8/4/09) (2cc in a 14cc band) but I have been expecting what you indicate. I also, at this point, feel little difference. I have heard many times on this board that restriction is elusive and more complicated than just the cc's in your band. Since the stomach heals that will change the restriction. Also, your eating habits may change. Certainly what you eat can determine sense of restriction. I have felt restriction even before the first fill but only with certain foods like dry chicken or grilled chicken salads etc.

In my experience staying hydrated is key. If you don't want a meal drink a Protein supplement instead or try the low fat string cheese and chew the snot out of it, only 50-70 calories depending upon which brand and they keep you satisfied. I believe the reason a doctor or dietitian may tell you not to skip a meal is so that you do not get too hungry by the next meal. In the short time I've had this thing I already realize that the more hungry I get the more likely I will do all the things they tell you not to do such as: 1) eating too fast before I get the "uh-oh" throat feeling. 2) not chewing enough 3) eating the wrong things etc.

Nice and helpful posts everyone. Thanks. I just had my first fill today and only 2cc in a 14cc unit. I can understand the gradual nature of the band adjustments. If I carried my portion control problem into full restriction I probably would snap the Lap Band like a broken rubber band. I have some restriction so far, but not a tremendous amount. Even so, I am losing weight and optimistic because I do feel satiated with less food.

That 38 included pre-op diet but was only on it for about 4 to 5 days. It was about 8 lbs or so. They said I'm down 31 since surgery today.

My brother had an early form of RnY in the 80's and my sister had one 4 or 5 years ago. My brother, after initial weight loss, gained a fair amount back over the years but has never returned to his sever super-obesity. While he does get dumping syndrome, he can eat an entire sleeve of Ritz crackers with no problems. My sister initially lost around 90lbs (down from 365) and gained back 20 to 70lb net loss. She does NOT have dumping syndrome, so her sweet tooth keeps her from losing more weight just as people criticize the Lap Band for. We are all disappointed with her results overall. In my case, I NEVER had a sweet tooth. I ONLY had a severe Portion Control Problem. The reason I went with the LapBand is because IT IS PERFECT for people with primarily a portion control problem. I am going into my fifth week post-op and have not once grazed. I never grazed anyway. But when I sit down for a meal, I get full on much less food. Before, my voracious appetite would constitute a severe risk to anyone getting physically between me and the food. Moreover, the adjust ability was a key factor for me as well and the RnY had already had limited success in my family. If I do have complications I can always have the full compliment of alternatives. Not so with other procedures. I am already down 40 lbs and very optimistic. I am not naive either. Let's face it, NO SINGLE WLS is best for every aspect of every type of obese person. Lastly, if your RnY or Sleeve is a disappointment, where do you go then? Your options are greatly limited apart from major surgery. At least if there is a problem with the Lap Band, there are other viable alternatives.

I'm one month post-op. Surprisingly, I had NO pain in my gut and NO pain post-op regarding the CO2 Gas that everyone warns about. It does NOT hurt to press down on my gut or anything like that. HOWEVER, I have had the ANNOYING pain and/or discomfort of painful sensitivity around the scars and numbness the lower abdomen away from the scars for some reason. I've always been quite ticklish and the surface of my skin has always been somewhat sensitive to the touch so maybe that is playing into this. In any event, if I take my hand and gently rub my tummy it actually Hurts. My shirt rubbing my tummy also is quite annoying. BUT BUT, if press down or squeeze it does NOT hurt. Go figure.

Cool, I was sure I wasn't the only one.

If people can get "cash for clunkers" and other environmental incentives, then why shouldn't WE get credit for LOWERING our Carbon Footprint? The answer is we should. Anyone getting RnY or LapBand or other WLS should get some credit for reducing our consumption and carbon footprint. In fact, in so many cases, banders and other WLS people end up consuming less than your average naturally skinny person. Come on Bander Community, stand up for our rights! :laugh:

I was banded 7/2/09. So far, I have lost 38 lbs. Despite minimal restriction, my first fill is on 8/4, I am feeling full with much less food. I never grazed and was a portion control phenom. So this thing is perfect for me. Can't wait until I start getting more restriction. sleep Apnea: I have Sleep Apnea also, but I do not expect to let that bipap unit go any time soon because I have a very thin brother that also has sleep apnea (albeit he is a smoker). It is true what they say, though, that even losing 10% of your body weight can improve your quality of life. I feel much better already.

I had my surgery on July 2nd and am healing nicely with similar experiences as others here. My surgeon, Dr. Moran in Raleigh, NC, does put a little saline in the band to start off right off the bat. Being on the liquid diet, I haven't noticed any "difference" in taking the liquid food in. In other words, I can drink a swallow or two or three of liquid or even a decent bowl of broth and I did not notice any obstruction or anything that told me to slow down. I have had some belly pain but that felt surgery related an not stomach related. I have felt satisfied if I eat two Jello cups and a bowl of broth that might be different than before but I can't be sure because it is quite subtle. I realize that all of this could be due to the fact that I am dealing only with liquids at this time, but I was wondering when to expect a different sensation than in my previous life. Thus, my question is this. When did you first eat something and say "wo, that was different"? After first fill? After full liquids? Just trying to get an idea of what to expect and when from a bandster's perspective.

This sounds like a classic Leak problem. I understand the responsibility issue, but if the band is working properly it should be too much work to defeat it, apart from sweets etc. Before beating yourself up too much I would make sure there is no leak in port, connections, or the band itself.

Portion Control and "night eating". I don't have a sweet tooth at all and often go hours and hours without eating. However, when I sit down for a meal, just don't get in my way or it will be like being run over by an Army Tank. I also have a night eating problem that starting when I worked often into the night and ended up eating late and it became a habit even when I had eaten dinner. This also was a cause of my Acid Reflux. I have been thin and fat in my adult life until recent years when I had given up and got up to a BMI of about 54. My portion control problems clearly go back to when I was child, being the youngest of six (five were boys). Getting enough to eat became an issue of speed. Also, since I have three boys myself I have become aware that the youngest child can often develop eating disorders as a result of "sibling abuse" (physical and mental, not sexual). The constant picking on about weight or anything can make the younger ones develop complexes.

As I understand it, the average lap band patient loses 50% of their excess body weight within the first year.

Here's mine.. 1. Turn sideways when squeezing down an auditorium row and have it actually help! 2. Ride a roller-coaster with my sons. 3. Look down and see my weinke again.

WADR, it is not surprising susan1961 is from California. Land of the beautiful people. :ohmy: May I say... The common resentment people come to feel has NOTHING to do with a rational understanding of why people respond or treat you better when you are thin. We know they do and I am glad you recognize that. However, the point is that the obese person looks out into the world and sees it exactly the way a thin person sees it apart from the people looking back at them. I see the world with the same 20-20 vision as when I was thin. People look at me, on the other hand, see something completely different between then and now. Moreover, most people (whether thin or fat) like to think there is something to themselves apart from their physical bodies, whether you call it a soul or spirit or essence. Thus, when people view them differently it can cause understandable feelings of a kind of perplexment similar when to someone wins the lottery and becomes, all of a sudden, everyones best friend. I'm not saying it is the most "well adjusted" reaction, but to say it is not justified or that the person feeling this needs to be INvalidated is, well, an outrage quite frankly.

Great Thread. I can speak authoritatively on this subject. I am pre-band currently, but I was once very thin, unlike many here pre-band. There is a huge difference in the way people view you. On a superficial level, you'd think it would be basic attraction versus non-attraction, but it is MUCH more complex than that. First, I am a highly intelligent and enjoy intellectual pursuits so the differences in how people treat a fat person are one of my pet peeves. When I was thin, people: 1) Assume you are smart. 2) Listened to me more. 3) Never scrutinized what I ate. 4) Tend to prejudge you as morally pristine. 5) Look and Smile at you more. 6) View you as a more "serious" person. After being fat, people: 1) Assume you are an out-of-control idiot until you prove otherwise. 2) If you eat a lot, they look on in disgust. 3) If you eat a little, they think you are doing it for show. 4) Tend to prejudge you as morally flawed. 5) Rarely smile at you unless you smile first or they are paid to smile at you. 6) Don't take you fully seriously. Here is the IRONIC part: You would think you would be overjoyed at the positive responses by others, and you are somewhat. However, the differences in the way people "you already knew before" treat you can cause you to be resentful at times. ie. "Now they like me, but where were they then?" This phenomenon has broken up marriages post-surgery. My brother had the old gastric bypass as a test patient in the early eighties. When he lost all of his weight, it changed the nature of his marriage relationship so profoundly that there was no way they could stay together. The only thing I can say to people is to try to keep your emotions in check. I know my wife will begin to see me better as I lose weight post-op. I realize that I may initially resent it because she has been so hard on me over the years (she is effortlessly thin). But the key is just to try to enjoy the benefits rather than getting caught up in the petty pride issues. People are what they are and do what they do.

We were watching old home videos and I realized how far I had let myself go. Now I have sleep apnea, high blood pressure, GERD, sore knees, and am desperate not to get diabetes.

macband, There is one thing you have mentioned a number of times in various threads regarding Moran vs Enoch that does interest me. You said that, if I may paraphrase, that the follow-up and/or results are quicker and better with Enoch. Do you have any objective reference for this information or is it simply anecdotal? I currently am inclined toward Moran right now based upon credentials and him being in the insurance network. However, if you can site a source other than yourself that Enoch's "results" are actually better, than this sounds like an objective statement on your part for which you should be able to site a reference apart from "friend of a friend said" type thing. I purchased a medical background check on Moran and it was clean (don't take my word for it, purchase your own if you doubt) and did not see anything that I might question on his background. He's had no disciplinary actions or catastrophic results or anything like that.

Hi Everyone, I am glad to be here and am looking forward to my lap-band surgery in the near future, if all goes off without a hitch. I don't know how many of you all can say this but I am one of those people that has been very thin and very fat. I am a once-thin, male at 46 years of age and am now considered "super-obese" at 375 lbs. Here is a short synopsis of what happened: 1) Growing up - average size but overweight occasionally. 2) College and Starting out - Healthiest time in my life. After college I worked in the construction field and got down to 160. For me, this weight was actually very thin as I am just over 5'11". For the first time in my life I could do even one-handed chinups like I was a chimpanzee. I never thought I would ever again have a weight problem. 3) Later, I had an office job and then became a software developer and became quite sedantary. My youthful eating habits have never really changed, with an ever present Portion Control problem. 23 years later if my investment portfolio looked anything like a plotted chart of my weight in that time, I'd be the richest man on Earth. I have clung to reasonably good health, but am now starting to get some of the comorbidities, such sleep apnea and hypertension. I am determined that diabetes will NOT be the next shoe to drop. So I made the decision to do lapband. My sister had a gastric bypass several years ago and one of my brothers actually had gastric bypass during the experimental stages back in the early 1980's. Both have been basically successful. Since my sister had the current bypass procedure, we were surprised she did not lose more weight. However, she has a "sweet tooth" and never got "dumping syndrome" so there was no penalty for it. More recently she has begun to lose weight again. I mention this because I am well familiar with the lifestyles changes that are required. I believe the lap-band will work for me because it is adjustable and because my problem has always been portion control and I do NOT have a sweet tooth. WHAT am I STRUGGLING with now... Now that I know that the surgery is coming it is difficult to avoid things like pizza because I keep thinking that this is the last time I will ever be able to sit down and pig out on pizza.