Phranp

Yes, there is a very real possibility that you need to have some of the Fluid taken out of your band. That said, are you getting at least 64 oz of Water daily? This is important especially if your are pbing so often. You may be dehydrated and that can make your band even tighter. I don't like the idea of an unfill either and I don't have a hefty $80 co-pay, so I feel your pain. But I have read again and again on this forum that if you are too tight you won't lose weight. Perhaps you can, make an appointment for a week or two from now and in the interim you can work on that meal plan calendar you mentioned and make sure you stay hydrated, and exercise. If things get better you can cancel your appointment, if things don't get better you can get a small unfill. Just a little food for thought. Hope things get better for you. ~Fran

OMG! Why on earth did they take ALL the Fluid out of your band??? They could have taken .1, .2, .3 etc. No wonder you are in such a state! I don't blame you at all! Can you get back in for a fill before the end of November ... seems a long time to wait. With my last fill I was very tight, but decided to give it a while and let the swelling go down. The swelling went down long ago, but at times I still felt too tight because I couldn't eat. Lo and behold, it turned out that I was dehydrated!! I was barely drinking 32 oz a day! The way I discovered this was, one day I was too tight to get food down and the next day I could eat all of my dinner. I thought about what was different and discovered that I had been drinking Water all day long. Duhhhh, I felt like an idiot, but I was very glad to learn that I needed to put ALL the pieces together to be successful with my band. I know that when you have restriction again you will do great. Hang in there, you will be back on track soon. Good luck to you!

Have you checked the batteries in your scale?

I hope what I have to say will be helpful to you and other pre-ops. I was banded in June 2009. First I would like to say that if you are an emotional eater (i.e., eat compulsively, eat because you are happy, sad, depressed, angry, lonely, tired, etc.), then the fact that you paid good money for the surgery won't really matter. When your emotions control your eating -- YOUR EMOTIONS CONTROL YOUR EATING. BUT, don't lose heart because the lapband can help. I know it has helped me. I am/was definitely a compulsive eater. After years of yo-yo dieting I got to my highest weight of 307 (when I went in the hospital for diabetes BG 917), once my sugar was under control I got down to 294. 294 is what I weighed on surgery day. Some people get the lapband and are pretty much "perfect". By that I mean they follow all diet instructions, exercise, journal, etc. Then there are others (like myself) that are not quite as focused and have stressors (i.e., teen/young adults in the home, stressful job, health problems, etc.) that conjure up old eating habits. So, suffice it to say that my weight loss has been slow. But, the important words here are WEIGHT LOSS. I am consistently losing (with a stall every now and again). I am getting exercise in (though not as much as I should). But the biggest thing is that the way I think about food has changed! I am no longer a slave to food. I credit my band, I really do. I credit my band because, with proper restriction, I have not been able to binge when I am overwhelmed by life. As a result, I am able to get back on balance and eat properly before I have done severe damage. BUT IT GETS BETTER. I have stopped reacting to stress in my life with food about 90% of the time! This is HUGE for me! I credit the band. Last night my kids made me very sad/mad. I was still thinking about it as I drove to work this morning. I had my Protein drink for Breakfast and had the forethought to bring another just in case my band was too tight for me to eat food at lunch (my band gets tighter when I am stressed). By the time lunch time came I was in the tank, on my way to being depressed -- a sure sign that Cookies were in my future. You know what I did instead? I put on my sneakers (I keep a pair at work - no excuses for not exercising while at work LOL) and took a good long walk. When I got back to my office building I sat in the sun (it's a beautiful day here) and tried to decide what I should eat for lunch that was healthy. In the end I went back to the office and drank my Protein Drink ... wasn't in the mood for food. Before the band, I couldn't have done that. The thing is, the band is a tool. You can learn to use to your advantage. Learn everything you can about the band. Be prepared going in ... and you will still be surprised. Know that you lose as fast or as slow as you are willing to work. ALL the power is in your hands, the band is just there to help you do what you really want to do. If you REALLY want to lose weight the band can help. If you don't really want to lose weight, the band won't stand in your way (ice cream and cake go down with ease). There are a few people that have problems with the band, but the vast majority of people have a tool that works. All the best to you on your journey! ~Fran

The main question is that its been less than 10 years since you were banded. I don't even remember the other questions because i don't think they were band related. ~Fran

Thanks so much! I just signed up and will be there on the 17th! A day off from work AND $150 for my Vegas trip Thanksgiving weekend. YAY!!! ~Fran

Something I find very interesting about eating during the holidays is that no one asks my sister (5'6" down to 119 lbs today from 124 lbs 6 months ago -- she's always been thin) why she's hardly eating or why she's not eating at all. But me ... me they ask "Don't you want more? Are you sure you have enough?" I guess people don't want you to change. Too bad for them cuz I'm no longer satisfied with being the "fatty" of the family! Since my mom went into a convalescent home 5 years ago I have been the designated chef for TG and Xmas. I never enjoyed cooking but took on the job for the sake of the kids. I found that cooking all that food made me not enjoy eating it as much, which is good. Now that I have the band it's even better. Today I learned that I can also forgo sweets!!! It's a miracle! Tomorrow is my daughter's b-day so I made two dozen oversized cupcakes. 12 red velvet with homemade cream cheese icing and 12 double chocolate with cream cheese chocolate chip filling with homemade buttercream chocolate chip icing. She will be sharing them with her friends when they come by tomorrow evening. I haven't eaten even ONE. By the time I was done the very smell of something sweet gave me a headache!! Uuuggggghhhhh! Did I lick my fingers while baking? At first, yes. But I kept thinking about the empty calories and stopped. So I just washed off the cake beaters -- the days of licking them clean are long gone. Do I think I will have a cupcake tomorrow? yes, probably. But, unlike my behavior in the past, I will probably eat half of the cupcake (after I eat my dinner, of course) and save the rest for the next day. For me this is a victory because in the past I would have eaten at least THREE cupcakes by now. For me, the best thing is not the weight loss ... it's that I am changing the way I think/feel about food. It's been a long road to get here, and I think I still have a ways to go, but I am really happy with how far I have come. I don't think I would be where I am without the band. Because of the band, I am not the least bit concerned that I will overeat for the holidays. It's a great feeling! ~Fran

So glad to hear everything has worked out for you! As for your 6 month diet, you should not have to start again as long as you have your documentation. It should be about whether or not you have been on a 6 month supervised diet not whether you have been on their 6 month diet. That said, when I was choosing a doc on my plan (BC/BS, uggghhh) one of the covered providers was Cedars Sinai and they have their own "special" program. So after seeing 3 docs that turned out not to be on my insurance (long story), I had already started my 6 months with my therapist and I was not about to start again with Cedars; so I went to a different doc. Everything will work out fine for you, the best is yet to come! ~F

Okay, I'm sold! I will buy one after Christmas! YAY! My kids are going to go CRAZY because this will be for ME!! They have their own stuff and they don't SHARE! (They are 20 and 22 so ...). Anyway I am excited and will start doing my research immediately. I want all the "bells and whistles"! It will be nice to have a "toy" of my own.

It's interesting that you should say that it is a controlled substance. When my doc prescribed Nuvigil he told me that it was NOT addictive, but, after doing a little research I read again and again that is IS addictive. I really don't like taking Nuvigil for that reason. I did not even know about how it effects the heart. But, at this time I need it, at least until I can figure out why I am so exhausted. sleeping at work is NOT acceptable. Thanks for the info. My co-pay is also $20.

I too am on Nuvigil and, as you said Bayareanan, it does some good but has not solved the problem. I have been tired and not feeling well all week. Also, today I forgot to take it before leaving for work and didn't have any in my purse so I am crazy tired and grumpy too. Ugghhh! Hope you get to the bottom of your problem soon Spoiltmom.

Don't you hate when that happens?!?!? I think I will put a piece of plastic under the scale the next time I weigh. I like the results you're getting. (It will be a while since I no longer have a scale at home -- I was much to obsessed).:wub: Hang in there, you're on the mend!

As much as I hate the idea of the apron, I have to agree with you Elfiepoo ... I hate the after effects of anesthesia and the sad but true fact is that at my age I am NEVER going to wear a bikini. I can live with that. I have been satisfied with a slow but steady weight loss because I see my stomach getting smaller but my skin isn't going anywhere! LOL I hate that look but ... oh well, what can I do. I would only have surgery to remove the apron if I kept getting an infection. If I were younger I'm sure I would think quite differently.

Don't be scared Oceangirl. For every negative story there are 10 success stories. The best thing you can do is YOUR HOMEWORK. Learn exactly how the band works and you'll have fewer surprises. If you haven't already chosen your surgeon take a look on this forum for advice about choosing a WLS. This forum is full of good information. There are many, many knowledgeable people here. READ, READ, READ.

Elfiepoo, no one would EVER accuse you of cheating! I have read enough of your posts to know how hard you are working to get to your goal. But, here's the thing ... something is not right ... your doc needs to be looking into this because it just doesn't seem possible that you would have gained weight. Have you asked your doc how this could be possible? Can't be "gaining muscle", could it? I wouldn't think so, but ... I am not being sarcastic, I am genuinely curious about the phenomenon. I hope things get better soon and the weight starts to melt off. :thumbup: By the same token I don't think that Kelly was accusing Ayana of "cheating" (and neither was I). My point had nothing to do with cheating. I wish you the best on your journey.

Gracie, you are a mere 4 weeks out. Your body is still healing and you don't have restriction yet. Give yourself a break. Take a deep breath and realize that this is a process. You are not going to change everything about yourself overnight. Don't stress, just make the effort everyday to do better. The closer you get to your sweet spot the easier it will be. Try writing when you want to graze. Maybe write about why you want to eat when you're not hungry, what you're actually feeling that makes you think food will make it better. This helps some people, others it does not. Just a suggestion. Think about what happened in the past when you beat yourself up because you went off your diet. Did that stop you or make you eat more? Beating yourself up usually leads to self sabotage -- don't go there. Tomorrow is a new day, start again. You can do this! ~Fran

Manda87, you've lost SEVENTY-SIX POUNDS!!!! How on EARTH could that be a "stab" at you?????!!! Maybe it's me, idk ... you did a lot of work AND YOU LOST THE WEIGHT. I think you are doing a FANTASTIC job of working WITH your band. @Jaymie, As for being harsh ... I don't think so. Sarcastic, yeah, maybe ... but harsh ... not so much. But, hey, I can take it. I do feel for Ayana not having received good info from her doc. There are a number of people that have come to this forum who don't seem to know how the band actually works. My doc was not the best at giving info either. As a result I had to do my own research, mainly because I wanted this to work. Simple as that. Learning that everything is not going to be handed to you and explained (EVEN WHEN IT SHOULD BE) is a good lesson in self-reliance. Hey, harsh or no ... it is what it is. @Kellydoran, I knew I would catch some flack for not being PC and being sarcastic so, I thank you for your support. LOL I wish EVERYONE well on their journey!

The thing that I like about people like you is that you are looking at this from a positive point of view. :thumbup: You will probably learn, when you finally hit your sweet spot" that 6.75 cc's was not near enough to 1) give you proper restriction; and 2) keep your hunger at bay for a truly reasonable amount of time. But, are you complaining and whining? NO! Keep up the good work and continue getting your fills. Make sure you are getting enough Protein (I find that it keeps my hunger away), Water and exercise. You will be at your "sweet spot" in no time! With your positive attitude coupled with proper restriction you will definitely be a lapband success story! Good luck on your journey. ~Fran

I'm with you Ayana! I would want my band removed too if I had changed my eating and activity habits, exercised 3-4 times a week, and around 1-2 hours each time, hired a personal trainer AND bought the Bodybugg to help me along the way -- and only lost 5 lbs!! Oh... wait ... that was Manda87 ... and she lost 76 lbs. I'm sorry Ayana, I couldn't resist. I am sure you have been doing your part to be successful with your band, right? But, as others have said, you need restriction. Can you lose without restriction? DEFINITELY. But you have to really put in the work. That said, having had the band put in, I would want to utilize it to assist me with my weight loss. ASSIST is a key word here. I guess your doc did not tell you that the band is a "tool", it doesn't do the work for you. Having restriction is important to a lot of us, while others manage to lose weight without restriction. (I'm not one of those). So, GET ANOTHER FILL. Get fills until you have the proper restriction. But, even with the proper restriction, if you don't change the way you eat, you're not likely to lose. Exercise is important too. Read posts on this forum. You can learn a lot. Doesn't sound like your doc gave you much useful information about the band. READ, READ, READ -- then put what you've learned into practice. Don't despair, you have the band and it will mirror the work you do. I didn't get to my "sweet spot" for several months so know that you are not alone. Hang in there!

Be prepared ladies because it will continue to happen! Even at my age! LOL Since losing weight I have changed my hair and bought new, stylish glasses. Sometimes it can be overwhelming. But sometimes it's just cute. A few weeks ago as I was leaving my nephew's football game a very nice man (about my age) noticed that my shoe was untied and told me about it. I knew it was, but I was too tired from screaming and jumping up and down at the game to do anything about it. Well, I was approaching the stairs to the parking lot and the very nice guy says "I will tie your shoe for you, I wouldn't want you to trip on the stairs". And he bent down and tied my shoe! That was soooo sweet. I have to mention something else though, one of my neighbors outed another of my neighbors as having a crush on me. The poor guy (who parks next to my car in our car port) was so embarrassed, I didn't see him for 3 days (I usually see him everyday). But, when I did see him he had cleaned the area around my parking space and told me that he did it for me. I said "thank you" and he said "anything for you". Trust me folks I have ZERO interest in this guy. Add to that he is TEN years younger than me. I am a little uncomfortable when I run into him, but he has been very polite. Until recently I hadn't dated in 5 YEARS! Hope you are all enjoying your new lives!

Me and ice cream are like a bad romance. I keep going back and it keeps making me sick! LOL I am lactose intolerant but I keep saying "maybe this time things will be different". They never are, of course, but some people can't get enough of a bad relationship. I have stayed away for several months now, but, I can't guarantee that if I see Mr. IC at someone else's house I won't try to get back together with him. Yes, I know the result will be the same ... he will reject me and make my thighs fat (as well as the rest of me), but you know how love can be. LOLLLL!:thumbup: I love ice cream but ice cream doesn't love me.

Wow! 1/3 the price is quite a deal! And I guess for you it's not so far, huh? I wish you well on your journey.

Strange thing happened after lapband ... I don't really like potatoe chips anymore. I was a big fan before the band, but now ... not so much. YAY! Have to admit though, I linger at the Frito display before walking away. LOL:wink2:

Yes, my doc gave me my first fill 3 weeks after surgery and then every 2 weeks as need. Not had a problem in over a year. Curious though, why did you go all the way to Belgium to have the surgery? No doc closer? Not my business, just curious because it seems a long way to go. Were you able to stay there to recuperate and then enjoy a vacation? ~F

Reading the latest comments on this topic reminds me of something that I was told several years ago by a co-worker. Let me first say that she was a very attractive, slender young woman about 5 years younger than myself. I don't remember how the conversation started, but I distinctly remember her saying that she would rather kill herself than to be fat like me. Hard as it might be to believe, she wasn't trying to be mean to me. She really felt that way. What I remember feeling when she said it was, pity. I pitied her because ALL of her self worth was wrapped up in her being thin. I knew her well enough to know about her relationships, that she was divorced from a guy that also worked where we worked and that she was dating another guy from the office at the time. I remember her being quite a miserable person. I truly felt sorry for her. I do like it that I am losing weight and that I had the surgery but, I have always known that being thin does not mean being happy. Know matter what you weigh, if you are not happy with the person you are on the inside, you won't be able to lose enough weight in a million years to change that ... prime example: the anorexic. Enough said.