marfar7

Happy Birthday! I love Olive Garden! Anytime I go there, I always get the seafood alfredo, which becomes about 5 meals for me. I either get sick of eating the same thing over and over or it goes bad in my frig before I have a chance to finish it! And for those who can't do pasta: Olive Garden will replace any Pasta with steamed veggies. My husband is a low carber and get the scampi chicken with steamed veggies instead of the pasta. And I usually eat about 1/3 of a breadstick and a 1/2 bowl of Soup. Again, Happy Birthday! Great job on your weight loss. We're about at the same distance in our journeys - it's also been 2 1/2 yrs for me and I've lost 104 lbs! Congrats to both of us! Marci

I'm almost 3 years out. My weight loss was slower compared to most on here. The first year (I didn't get restriction till my 3rd fill, almost 5 mths out) was about 70lbs.I began dating then. I had ben widowed for about 3 yrs by then and felt uncomfortable dating. I met my now husband at about an 80 lbs loss. The 2nd year, I lost another 20 lbs, making it 104 lbs in 2 yrs. This is my 3rd year and I began having complications with my band. I gained back about 11 of those pounds. Hopefully after my 2nd slip, they'll be able to remove my Fluid and start fresh. Hoping they won't have to manually reposition it. Even though I'm now having complications, I would do it all over again. It's so nice to wear a size 8! I've never worn a single digit my entire adult life. I gave away all of my size 3x clothing, so I really can't afford to gain it back! Good luck to you! You can do it! You're worth it! Even tho you feel like you're starving right now on the liquid diet, it will be a bleep on your lifetime radar! Oh, and I eat anything I want - including bread, rice, and Pasta. Just VERY small amounts of them. Anytime I go to Olive Garden, it's usually about 5 meals for me. I get sick of it or it goes bad in my frig before I eat the rest of it! My husband complains how much food I waste. Oh well. Better in the trash than on my body! Oh and some advice: Be patient. can't say that enuf. For the first 5 mths and until my 3rd fill, I felt like I failed yet another diet. It was the 3rd fill that got me to restriction, where I could only take about 6 bites of a meal and be done with it. I don't think I researched it too much before, so I truly thought once I got it, I'd start losing immediately. Doesn't happen. Most people need from 2-5 fills before feeling the restriction. Marci

Congratulations! Well done! I don't know anything about TT's, as my insurance won't cover cosmetic surgery at all. But I did talk to my band dr about doing one (he does them on his patients for a reduced rate) and he said it would be about $8,000 with a one night stay in the hospital. My sagging skin (after losing over 100 lbs) is not too bad. The only people that see it are me and my husband and he loves my body! So I can't justify getting a TT instead of a nice vacation for the two of us! $8,000 would indeed be a NICE vacation! Good luck to you! Marci

I've had my band for almost 3 yrs now and I've lost over 100 lbs (now it's less since I've gained a few lbs back). Most of you have probably read my dilemma on another post somewhere, but I'll re-tell it for those of you who haven't: After losing 104 lbs and being within 11 lbs of my goal of 135, I began having severe acid reflux at nite (so bad that I had to take 1 rx Nexium, 2 rx Prilosec, and 5 otc Zantacs and sleep propped up on 3 pillows). Still I coughed up stomach acid all nite. I allowed that to go for 4 months, as I was afraid the dr might take out some Fluid and I would never get to goal. After 4 mths, my husband had had it. He demanded that I go in. After an xray confirmed that my band had slipped, the PA took out 1/2 og my 9cc fill and let me rest for 4 weeks. The reflux was gone! Slept like a baby for the first time in months. I could sleep on my side, could snuggle with my husband again. Life was grand - except - I was constantly hungry. It was like before I even had my band. During the 4 weeks tho I only gained about 3 lbs. When I went in to start the refill process, I wasn't given another xray to confirm that it was fixed. I should've demanded it but didn't really even think about it. He put 1cc in. Still slept like a baby, also no restriction. 2 weeks later, he put another 1cc in. Restriciton is finally back! Yeah! After about 3 nites, the severe reflux is also back tho. Along with the nightime reflux is almost constant heartburn during the day. The meds help with the heartburn but not the reflux (and there is a difference between them if you didn't know this!). I happened to be out of state for 2 weeks when it started again so I emailed my RN and she replied with "You need to come in and get unfilled again". Made my appt for Monday Aug 6th. They will take an xray 1st. What my suggestions to all of you newbies: Watch the PB'ing. I call it vomiting because I wretch just like vomiting, altho it's only the food I'd eaten and not stomach bile with it. After finally getting restriciton after 5 mths and 3 fills, I vomited about 4-6 times a week. I eat too fast (even tho I work on it, I'm far from perfect and it's easier to me to vomit than to learn how to eat slower). I've vomited in parking lots (with my head hanging over the car while in the drivers seat), in the yard, in my bathroom, and many, many public restrooms. It just became normal to me. When I first got my slip, the dr warned me to stop throwing up. When he put the 2nd 1cc in, I threw up my pills that nite. I either reslipped my band from throwing up, or it was never fixed in the first place. I'm working on eating slower, and when a stuck episode does happen, I'm working on suffering thru it and letting it play out. Sometimes I'm miserable for about 20 minutes but at least I'm not throwing up as often. Yes, I said as often. A couple of nites ago, I ate about 1/2 cup of banana pudding. To not let my husband hear me, I took the dog outside to potty. I threw up in the yard. He heard me thru his office window. And I thought I was being so sneaky. I now have 22 lbs left to my goal. I've gained 11 lbs thru this whole ordeal. And this time, I may not even get an unfill. They may have to go in and reposition it. That's another 4 weeks of a liquid diet. All because I made myself throw up so often because I can't learn to slow down. Do I want another band? I've been seriously thinking about it. But my bmi is now only 26, so I doubt my Medicare will even cover an alternative surgery. I think they have to cover band repositioning if it's caused medical problems. Why can't I just trust in what I've learned over the past almost 3 yrs and get it taken out completely? Because I guess I haven't learned that much. I refuse to diet - that means I eat everything I used to eat, just much, much smaller portions. That's why I love my band so much. I can only eat 2 Cookies intstead of 12 ( I know I probably shouldn't be eating cookies at all - but that's dieting to me). I'm terrified that if they take it out, I will regain all of my weight back and I'll be the sad, 248 lb woman I used to be. Who doesn't even have her 3x clothing anymore and can't afford a new wardrobe AGAIN. So, yes, I think I'll have it re-positioned if necessary. I'm hoping they just take out the fluid for a few weeks and we start all over again. It's such a slow process tho. And at $160 each visit and a 6 hr round trip, it's gunna cost a fortune if I have to start all over again. Why did I do this to myself? Why can't I just learn to eat slower and avoid all the throwing up in the first place? Marci

Guess mine is considered cheap by most of your fill charges ($160)! Except that they've never done one under fleuro. It is a 6 hr round trip drive so for gas in a Jeep Liberty, it's another tank of gas (about $60). So I guess the cost they're charging is fair enuf! Marci

Thank you for addressing this. My husband thinks I'm bulimic. I often throw up (PB) - probably about 3-6 times a week. Mostly from eating too fast. After almost 3 yrs, I still have yet to control how fast I eat. But, even tho I know I'm not bulimic (I purge because I'm so uncomfortable and it's the only way to relieve it - not to control my intake), I did slip my band about 3 mths ago. After having Fluid taken out, letting it rest, and fluid added slowly, I still have severe reflux - so either it re-slipped or it was never fixed in the first place (they didn't do a followup xray before they started refilling). Since my slip, I've been so aware of how fast I eat. One thing that it doesn't matter how slowly I eat, it always comes back up is pudding and yogurt. No clue why those "sliders" always come back up. Since my 1st slip, I've cut way back on vomiting. I either eat it correctly, or suffer with the pain till it goes down - and it will eventually. I was caught a couple nites ago when I ate about 1/2 cup of banana pudding. I felt it stuck and it wouldn't go away. So in order to not allow my husband to hear me, I took the dog outside to potty. I threw it up in the yard. He heard me thru his office window! I thought I was being so sneaky. Can't wait till my band is fully functional again and not causing severe reflux and heartburn. Hopefully soon! Marci

No clue. I don't count anything. Never have. It's why I got banded -so I'd never have to "diet" again. And to me, counting calories, carbs, Protein, and fat is just like dieting. If I were to take an educated guess, I'd guess around 1200-1300. It's been 2 1/2 yrs since being banded tho - I'm not on a liquid diet. When I was on liquids only, I probably took in around 600 or so. Can't keep that up very long and live your life normally. Good luck! Marci

Like someone said, the only symptom of a slip that I had was severe reflux at night. So bad! And I could also eat a little more than usual. I'd always heard that if you slipped, you wouldn't be able to keep down anything - not true for all people. I'm now working on my 2nd slip (confirmed next week). Am I still happy with my band? Absolutely. Do I wish it would quit causing me problems? Absolutely Good luck! Marci

Too bad the stuff doesn't work for me. I take the RX strength Omeprazole (Prilosec) + RX Nexium +OTC Zantac. And I still have to sleep propped up on 3 pillows to avoid choking on my stomach acid. I have an appt next week with my band dr to check for yet ANOTHER slip. I spose the meds would work if I just had reflux that was caused by overactive acid makers - not a slipped band. Nothing will work for that except to have it fixed. Glad you found something that'll work for you! Marci

I"m almost 3 yrs out and I still have a hard time eating slowly. I learned to eat fast in Army basic training. If you didn't eat within 5 mins, you didn't eat. I've never lost that.. My husband constantly reminds me to slow down. I make the mistake of waiting till Im starving, so I wolf it down. Small utensils may help the bite size, but not how fast you eat. You have to control this. Over the last over 2 yrs, I vomit frequently from eating too fast. It finally caused a slip recently. So I try really hard to slow it down. Good luck to u Marci

What's the? ?

I can't think of a reason why the band would have anything to do with your diarrhea. Now if you had a bypass, Id be more concerned. Maybe you ate something or have a little tummy bug? Good luck. That sucks that it happens while on vacation Marci

Mashed avocado is good on sandwiches. I use mayo (full fat kind) and ranch dressing on everything. Marci

Im 3 yrs post op. My port could be felt with some prodding when I weighed 250. Now, it looks like an alien. U can totally see it protruding. Good luck Marci

Ive been feeling the same lately. Im almost 3 yrs post band, but tsill have those bad habits to break. Until my unfill about 2 mths ago due to a slip,there was no way I could physically overeat. It literally gave me pain and i learned pretty quickly when to stop eating. But since my unfill (Ive had 2 1cc fills so far), I feel that I have decent restriction, but overeating doesnt cause me discomfort anynore. I go past that "full" feeling often. I think that I might need therapy for addicito n to food. It'd be smart to do it before I gain all my weight back becasue I'm not feeling pain when satiated. Oh to have that pain back! Especially at nite. Ive been snacking alot. Too much. Ive already gained 13a lbs and I really dont want to gain anymore. Good luck with ur therapy. Let us know how it goes. At least you figured it out before being banded. Marci

What is exactly the question? Marci

I agree with the careful on the induced vomiting. Ive been sticking my toothbrush down my throat for 2 1/2 yrs so as not to feel the pain of being stuck. I did it about 2-4x a wk. Then I had a slip (mosy likely caused by vomiting) and 4 mths later, Im still in the process of rectifying the slip. Thats the thing with the band - you have to be patient. Nothing with the band is immediate. Ive found that NOTHING works for being stuck but vomiting for me. Except preventing the episode in the first place. Im learning to slow down and chew food really carefully. Sometimes it doesnt work and Ive only induced vomiting a couple of times. The pain is sometimes intense but it usually only lasts about 15 minites and its over. Im struggling now with a possible 2nd slip or the first one was never corrected. Trying really hard to prevnt stuck episodes. Good luck Marci

Ive been fat all my life. I married at 21. Lost enuf weight to join the Army, and spent the next 19 yrs in wedded bliss with a guy who could care less how much I weighed. Then he died at 46, 5 yrs ago. Initially I lost 30 lbs (bringing me to 170) butn. Over the next 18 mths I gainedalmost 80 lbs. The thought of being alone for the rest of my life scared me to death. I couldnt imagine putting my profile on the Big Beautiful Women daating site. So, 2 yrs after my husbnad died, I moved from VA to OR, where I didnt know a soul (just wanted to start over so I picked. OR off the map). I had started lookint at the band before I moved but really started seriuosly considering it after moving. I had my first appt 2 mths after moving. I was banded about 4 mths after moving. About a year later and a loss of about 70 lbs, I started dating. In Dec 2011 I remarried a wonderful man who is so supportive of my band life. He reminds me to slow down when im wolfing my food, is concerned when I have reflux, and encourages me in the dressing room when a pair of 8's actually fit! Im now down over 100 lbs. I hate to think that I would've never met my husband if I had still been obese. But its true that I didnt even have the courage to meet anyone so fat. I ask him all the time if he would still love me if I gained all the weight back. He tells me yes, but I wouldnt like myself very much. Which is troo. Also when i bent over to tie my shoes and I was out of breath, that also made my decision! Good luck with ur decision Marci

I feel your pain. I've had my band almost 3 yrs now, lost over 100 lbs (was within 11 lbs of goal) and my band slipped about 7 mths ago. I didn't do anything about it cuz I was afraid he'd want to take it out. The only symptom I had was severe reflux. I could still eat and drink like usual. After 4 mths of nightime hell, my husband talked me into going to the dr. After an xray, they found a slip. So the PA took out 1/2 of my 9cc fill and let me rest for 4 weeks. After 4 weeks of sleeping like a baby (and gaining a few lbs) I went in and had 1cc fill (without a follow up xray to make sure it was in place). I don't know why I didn't insist on it. Well, the 1cc still let me sleep like a baby but I also had no restriciton. So 2 weeks later, he put another 1cc in. Restriction is back - so is the reflux. So I figure either it slipped AGAIN or it was never corrected in the first place. Now I have to start all over again (and my dr is also 3 hrs away - and $160 each visit) and see him numerous times to get this fixed. The nurse said that my next visit would be free (my husband insisted on that since they never did a follow up xray). I'm so scared that they're either going to unfill me completely and I'll gain even more than the 14 lbs I've already gained, or I have to have surgery to reposition it. In one way, I'd rather do the latter. At least I'd KNOW that it was corrected and my insurance would pay for it! So I know exactly how your feeling. Nervous that my band will never be the same again. Wish the plication surgery had been in available in 2009. Then I wouldn't have to worry about slips again. Good luck to you! Marci

Thanks for all your comments. Its now been 4 nites of no reflux. Just mild heartburn. Think ill hold out till it starts again. I went a yr without seeing my dr at all and Ive seen him about 5 times in the past 6 mths. Oh, and I've now gained a total of 9 lbs. I dont even need a belt for my jeans anymore. That sucks. Still happy with my band tho Marci

My surgery was almost 3 yrs ago now. No fill at placement. 6 wks later, he put 5cc in. No change. Another 6 wks and he gave me another 2cc. Still no change. Another 6 wks and another 1cc, I finally found restriction! I remember eating like 4i bites of chicken, 3 bites of potato, and a couple bites of green Beans and being very satisfied. That chicken dinner lasted about 56 meals in my to go box. Now, almost 3 yrs later, numerous fills and a couple of unfills, I have about 7cc in it and I think I may need a little fill. Im experiencing reflux tho, so i may have another slip. No fills for me in the immediate future. Hope that helps. Oh, I have a 14cc band Marci

I have a 14cc Realize band. And about 6 mths ago (before my slip and unfill), the PA filled me to 10cc and said I was maxed out. Didn't believe him, as I've heard that the bands hold more than they're sposed to. But when he injected the saline, the syringe pushed against him, like there was too much Fluid in there. He said from now on, it was up to me. My band has done it's job. Unless I lose a ton more weight and make the band too loose that it'll hold more. At the time, I only had 11 lbs to go. After being unfilled because of a slip, I've gained about 8 lbs, so I'm about 19 lbs from goal. No clue why he gave me a 14cc vs a 10cc. He didn't tell me. Hope that answered your ? Marci

Thanks everyone! Appreciate your responses. I'm calling the office for an appt today. Marci

Hi everyone, I'm almost 3 yrs poast op and doing well. Couldnt be happier with my band. About 6 mths ago, I began having raging nightime reflux. So bad that I took 1 rx Nexium, 2 rx Prilosec, and 5 otc Zantacs and sleep propped up on 3 pillows. I'd still be miserable. I was so afraid theyd take out my band that I didnt say anything for 3 mths. Couldnt stand it any longer. Got an xray and found my band had slipped. The PA took out 1/2 of my 9cc fill and let it rest for 4 wks. The reflux went away immediately. I we nt in in 4 wks and got 1cc put in. Still no reflux -but also no restriction. 2 wks later, they put another 1cc in. That night I threw up my pills. Got restriction agai n, yeah. But with it also came the reflux. Just as bad. I never got a followup xray before starting the filling process again to make sure it was corrected. So either it was never fixed, or my vomiting up my pills caused another slip. I emailed my nurse (out of state for 24 wks, couldnt see my dr) and she said when I got back to OR to come in and theyd check it out. Heres the thing: the reflux stopped a few nites ago! Havent had it in 3 nites. Maybe my band isnt slipped. I feel fine, i can eat anything (still have decent restriction), and Im not up all night coughing up stomach acid. Should I just forget seeing the dr? Its a 6 hr round trip trip and $160I a visit. Could it still be slipped and Im just getting used to the reflux? Could it have corrected itself? Or was it slipped again to begin with? What would u do? Like i said, im feeli ng fine now. Marci

400-500 sounds a bit low to me. Even on the liquid only phase. Even my Protein shakes has at least 200 calories in them. Since the band, I've never counted calories, fat, carbs, or even protein. I eat what I want until I'm satisfied (about a toddlers portion). That's why I had the lapband - so I wouldn't have to count anything that went into my mouth ever again. But I know where you're coming from. You're in the beginning stage and just want to find out if what you're doing is "normal". I'm not a dr (I did major in nutrition in college, only have 6 classes left to become an RD) but to me, 400-500 calories sounds like starvation mode. You won't be able to function on that for very long. If it's that low just because of the very few things you can have, I'd sneak in an extra Protein shake or extra Soup. Good luck! Marci