ItsGottaGo!

Just had my first sliming and stuck incident. Thankfully, it only lasted about 5 minutes, I can't imagine that going on for hours! I have this back massager thing and I tapped it on my back and I became unstuck! Sheesh! I did PB a little but didn't realize I should have coughed it out, so back down it went, that made it worse. Next time I'll cough it out (not to be gross). Looks like I have that elusive restriction we all are looking for.

I went for my first fill on Monday. I have a VG 10cc band. I was shocked that my surgeon and two other doctors were there to do the fill themselves. It was done under Fluroscope. First he put in 4.5 cc's and I drank the barium then he added another 1 cc, which brings me to 5.5 cc's for my first fill. I feel like I have a good amount of restriction with no problems so far. My insurance only covered the first fill, so I asked him to make it a good one. I have full confidence in him and I don't think he would have put the 5.5 cc's in if he thought it would harm me.

That commercial is how I first learned about the lapband back in May! I saw it and said, that's exactly what I need! I had been seriously considering gastric bypass until I found out there was a band!

Christine, WOW you lost 58lbs without a fill, that is awesome!! If you have the VG Band, I believe it holds about 11cc's.

Hi. I just posted this on the September Bandsters thread so I copied it to paste here... I went for my first fill this morning!!! First I was shocked to see that I had not gained any weight like I thought I did in the past month. I stayed the same. SHOCKING! Second, I love my surgeon. He defintiely rocks! The fill was totally uneventful, a little pinch to numb the area and then the fill needle went in and I felt nothing. They did it under fluroscope so that helped with finding the port and not having to poke around. First he gave me 4.5 cc's in my VG Band (which holds 11cc). Then he made me drink the barium to see how everything was going through and then he gave me another 1cc, so I am at 5.5cc and am thrilled that he was a little more aggressive than others. I asked him to be since this was the only fill that my insurance will cover and he said he will make it a good one. I'm just drinking my protein shake now and I had 3 sips and can feel a total difference. I definitely have to start sipping. Anyway, I am very happy and excited to have this fill done and with the amount he gave me and will keep everyone posted on the progress. Must be on liquids for today and tomorrow then progress slowly.

I usually get that if I overeat, otherwise I don't feel the bump.

I went for my first fill this morning!!! First I was shocked to see that I had not gained any weight like I thought I did in the past month. I stayed the same. SHOCKING! Second, I love my surgeon. He defintiely rocks! The fill was totally uneventful, a little pinch to numb the area and then the fill needle went in and I felt nothing. They did it under flouroscope so that helps with find the port and not having to poke around. First he gave me 4.5 cc's in my VG Band (which holds 11cc). Then he made me drink the barium to see how everything was going through and then he gave me another 1cc, so I am at 5.5cc and am thrilled that he was a little more aggressive than others. I asked him to be since this was the only fill that my insurance will cover and he said he will make it a good one. I'm just drinking my protein shake now and I had 3 sips and can feel a total difference. I definitely have to start sipping. Anyway, I am very happy and excited to have this fill done and with the amount he gave me and will keep everyone posted on the progress. Must be on liquids for today and tomorrow then progress slowly.

Ditto and WORD! I have that happening to me and I am only 6 weeks out. Give me a break here people! I'm tired of explaining how this is not like Gastic Bypass. Me and my big mouth!

Ok, here's what I ate today: B: 8 oz skim milk, vanilla protein powder mixed in. 1 cup of coffee with 1 tbs. half and half. L: 2 boca burgers with about 5 oz. of Feta cheese (I totally went overboard on the feta cheese, I can't wait till it is gone and out of my house, I can't control myself with cheese and won't buy it anymore). D: Small plate of white beans mixed with some baked potato pieces and a couple of pieces of brocolli and vinegar, oil and seasoning. A tiny piece of fried breaded tilapia. S: I made halloween cookies with vanilla icing with my daughter and ate 1, then I had a piece of cake my Aunt baked, she made it with Fat Free cottage cheese and graham cracker crust (not too bad and delicious). I feel like I ate so much more because I feel stuffed, I am wondering if there was anything I left out, but I do not think so. Must be the cookie and cake and all that cheese. I definitely feel like I am back to my Surgery weight of 232 though. I can see my stomach popped back out a little. Isn't it amazing how fast it comes back on and how slow it is to come off. I can't wait for my fill on Monday. I am going to beg my dr. to be aggressive since I only get 1 fill paid for with my insurance and the rest I have to pay for at the price of around $600 each. It wouldn't be so bad if I didn't drop $4,000 at the dentist last week and am looking at another $4,000 in the near future. I am broke!

Don't beat yourself up BJean! We all make mistakes. I can't believe you were able to get the bread down though, I did try to eat a sandwich the other day, but I think I ate it too fast and let me tell you, it hurt, it hurt bad, I thought it would never go down. I won't try soft bread anymore, but I did eat a banana nut muffin yesterday and had no problem with that going down, of course! Oh, for shame! Tomorrow is a new day, and someday we will have the restriction we need to help us along this journey, it may just take a little time. The only thing that annoys me is all the people who just don't get it, they expect the weight to be falling off of me like it does with the Gastric Bypass. No matter how many times I try to explain about the fills and restriction, it's like talking to a brick wall. I think if it wasn't for the "expectation" for those around me, I would be more relaxed about the amount of time it is actually going to take for the weight to come off. And, I am not one to usually care what anyone thinks, it's just so annoying the curiosity (not sure if it is concern) of those who ask how it's going. I wish I didn't tell some of the people that I did, but, I never learn to keep my big mouth shut!:censored: :blah: :doh: :gossip:

I'm glad you had a great time! I'm sure most of it is just bloating from foods you aren't used to eating and lack of sleep, not to mention the alcohol. Drinks lots of water and eat right for the next week, I bet you see those 5lbs drop off. Don't feel bad, enjoy your cruise memories!

Thanks BJean, you're so sweet. Maybe I just feel like a cow because I'm all PMS and bloated, but I do know I have eaten things I shouldn't have and too much of it for the past week. At least I can start over again. Thanks for your support.

Great job everyone. I, on the other hand, have most likely gained back at least 1/2 of the weight I lost already. I am going for my first fill on Monday and am so afraid the nurse is going to say something snide or nasty and that the dr. is going to yell at me. I haven't been excercising at all, my fibromyalgia is acting up, I feel like I got hit by a truck and my period is now 2 days late which makes the aches worse (no I'm not pregnant), but I have had PMS and the wanting to eat for about 8 days now, I wish it would come already! I also decided to go off my 20mg. of Prozac this past week, so who knows how that is affecting me. Anyway, I have been avoiding the scale for about 2 weeks now and am terrified to get on it. I guess Monday is D-day for me. Hopefully, I'll get a pretty decent fill (I have the VG band that holds 10cc's+) and it will restrict how much I can eat. I think I will do liquids tomorrow and Sunday just so I don't feel so bad on Monday morning when I get there. Thanks for letting me vent!

Jess, I don't know if it was the carbs that made it go away. I was on soft proteins only when this happened and I was eating alot of salmon, lox with cream cheese and canned salmon, so I think that might have been it, but there were days when I didn't eat the salmon that the urine was strong. It did go away when I added carbs, but I wasn't really having ANY at the time, so I don't really know if that was the 'cure' or not. Good luck!

Oh my gosh! My underarms smell like onions, even after just getting out of the shower! WHat is this?? Hormones? Fat burning? Also, I did notice that my urine was smelling much stronger, not to be gross, but almost like salmon! I apologize for being so graphic, but it did. I added some carbs the past couple of days and it is gone.

I have been wondering if my band was there at all. I'm waiting on my first fill. Tonight I ate pretzels for the first time. I wasn't supposed to, but I did. Now I have the hiccups. I have heard the hiccups are a common occurrence with the band, so I guess I really am banded, huh! What causes the hiccups and why would pretzels bring them on? Is it the pretzels trying to pass through the stoma? Maybe I do have some type of restriction afterall. Thanks!

My golfball is on my left. Too bad no more pretzels for us .

A snack package of what? I get the golfball feeling in my back, I guess right behind my band. Does anyone else get a pain in there back instead of the stomach. Maybe my stomach is more towards my back-LOL. Who knows. I have never had the hiccups until tonight since being banded. I knew I shouldn't have eaten those pretzels, but I guess I was testing the band. Now I know. The hiccups are gone now, so it didn't last too long, but I still have the golfball feeling in my back, like near my ribs.

I have been saying the same exact thing!! Isn't it amazing how much less we are eating, but the weight still doesn't come off. It make me wonder how much of this weight was due to food as opposed to lack of excercise. My first fill cannot come fast enough. Hang in there.

Sharon probably had it done overseas in the UK in 1999.

I have Medicare and I didn't have to wait for my surgery. I had my surgery done less than 2 months after my initial consultation with the surgeon. I had it done by Dr. Szomstein at the Cleveland Clinic in Weston, Fl. I guess I was one of the lucky ones, now waiting to see if they pay. I don't see why they wouldn't, my BMI was well over 40. Good luck to you. The only thing I heard though is that Medicare only covers 1 fill after surgery, the rest you have to pay for yourself, which my dr. charges about $600!

Wow! I had no clue Sharon had a gastric band. I do hope there was no link to that band and her colon cancer. That scares me. Am I the only one?

Don't feel bad Mimi. I have absolutely no restriction either. I am going for a fill on October 30th and it cannot come soon enough. I am not allowed to have solids yet, just soft protein foods, no carbs either, but today I had some macaroni and cheese, I'm sick of soft protein and am eating way too much cheese which WILL put the weight back on me if I don't watch it. We just have to hang in there until out fills, the weight will come off, we just need patience. I don't understand how some people have trouble eating without a fill, I guess they are just lucky. I do feel uncomfortable if I eat too fast or don't chew well enough, but am still able to get it down. I get a pain in my back if I do this, but I don't believe that I have any restriction at all.

Actually the fish will go down easier than the chicken. On my docs. orders, fish is considered a soft protein, so go for it.

For mushies I have canned salmon mashed with low fat mayo, crab cakes, lox and cream cheese, boca burger, egg white omelette with low fat cheese, cottage cheese. I'm only allowed soft proteins right now, but if you can have carbs, you can do mashed potatoes, oatmeal, cream of wheat, etc.