CantB2noty

I have been away from the boards for a while, so I wanted to make my apologies for disappearing, lol!!! Life gets WAY to hectic for me I think and I forget to take time for myself. I homeschool all three of my kids, got a hubby in the Navy that suffers from PTSD, my two boys have ADD/ADHD, 2 of my kids are adopted and suffer from emotional issues thanks to their birth mom's neglect. On top of it all, a couple of months ago we had a house fire, lost most of my kitchen and living room stuff, including the computers! And one of my dogs almost didnt survive the fire, UGH!!!! On a lighter note, I am now past my first bandiversary and am lovin my Buster!!! I didnt make my goal of losing 100 lbs, however, I lost 95 lbs...And thats good enough for me!! I feel so much better with most of the excess weight gone! And I guess I even look better! If anyone is interested I did post some new pics of my progress in my album.. Anyways, thanks for understanding my disappearing act and for welcoming me back!!! Its great to be back in contact with those who understand bandster life!

I can only eat pancakes that are really thin and slightly crispier than normal, or crepes are fine for me. Cornmeal pancakes or buckwheat pancakes are not a problem for me. And god bless america for sugar free pancake syrup! lol You will learn over time if your band is too tight to allow any type of bread product type things for that day. It took me about 6 months to learn to know this. Its just a tight sensation in my tummy, not pain, just a tightness. Those are the days I know Buster is gonna give me problems if I eat anything other Protein and some veggies. I still cant eat potatoes or rice. But sometimes I can tolerate a few french fries or hashbrowns. But I can eat sweet potato fries with no problems.

Welcome to Bandster hell! This is a time for your body to heal from the surgery and to start making the changes in your life necessary. Since you are just starting back on solids, its not a big surprise you are not losing weight. This isnt a bad thing at all, simply means your body is doing exactly what it is suppose to be doing: healing! That little pain you feel in your shoulder could be residual gas, but more likely than not thats your body telling you its full. It took years of abusing food to get to the point that banding was an option, likewise it was take some time to make the changes in your life and eating habits necesary to lose the weight. You will lose the weight, but those first few weeks after surgery are strictly about healing. Any weight loss you have is a bonus. Any doctor will tell you this also. I'm now 14 months out of surgery, and down 95 lbs. My relationship with my band is a love/hate one. I love that Buster tells me when its time to stop eating, because I dont have that control myself. I hate it when he tells me I cant eat certain things because I know if I do I will pay for it dearly. But those things I shouldnt be eating anyways. I would love to eat me a PoBoy sandwich with all the fixings, but Buster says nope, for example. But I love being able to eat, enjoy my food and know I ate just the right amount. And the feeling of being full. I had no idea what that felt like, and it feels pretty darn good. Yes, food was my friend. Always there when I was happy, sad, scare, mad, whatever, my friend was always there. The problem is my friend was gonna kill me one day. But I realize now, it wasnt my friend at all, it was my enemy. Now, its my friend. I spent alot of time researching recipes for all these veggies and stuff thats a part of my new diet. And I found ways to modify recipes so they were better for me. I love Paula Deen but her stick of butter in everything would be the death of the world. I change what I need to in the recipe and still get all the benefits..... I hope this helps, but this too shall pass! Good luck!

I had a c-section, hysterectomy, appendectomy and abdominal scar tissue removal in my life. This surgery is nothing compared to those. Right when I first woke up from surgery all I could think was that everyone lied when they said this felt like doing 10,000 ab crunches. I hurt, and was ssooooo nauseated!! They gave me something for my upset tummy and some morphine, took about a 2 hr nap, and then it did feel like all those ab crunches. It wasnt so much pain as more like soreness and tenderness. I did still take the pain meds to help sleep and rest and what not. Personally, the gas pains were far worse than the incision pain..

Sometimes a drink of soda with fizz can cause an airbubble under the food and make you pb. But I find tremendous relief in laying on the floor and arching my back up off the floor. This stretches everything out and can give me enough push to make the food move...

A year out of surgery, I have this one small fact to admit. I should have lost more, but I really didnt excercise the way I should have been. And I probably cheated my diet one two many times. Nonetheless, I am super happy and if I dont lose another pound, thats ok too! Good luck!

Congrats, I'm anxious to hear how it goes for you. We are stationed here in New Orleans, no military hospital, so that means civilian surgeons!! yes!!!!! Congrats on the weight loss!

Nioxin really slowed my hair loss down. Not sure if my hair grew back because no one could notice it, but I did. I got an updated cut of my normal style with my bangs cut a little further back, and still no one notices. However, my hair is different now than before surgery. The new growth is so much healther and shinier! But still slightly thinner. Thank god for back combing and root lifter sprays. I have never had hair loss with any of my other surgeries, so I believe the hair loss is more to do with our diet change than anything. If our bodies need to detox from all the bad foods we put into, doesnt it make sense our hair would react to all these good healthy things we eat by going into shock? lol Personally, I have lost hair on every part of my body, not just my head.

Yes, I will admit to cheating pre and post op. OMG, I was starving!! My doc is strict 2 weeks clear liquid diet before and after surgery, only Protein shakes for calories. I swear, if I never see a box of Jello again it will be too soon!!!!! However, I was and am very aware of the high price cheating can cause. I was lucky, I had no problems. I didnt want to eat meals, I just wanted to shut the hunger pains off. I nibbled on turkey pepperoni when it got bad. Just a few slices was enough. But then I realized, it wasnt hunger pains as much as I wanted to chew something!! After surgery is a time for us to detox our bodies of all the crappy foods we've been putting in it for years. Once I got to start eating again, I didnt crave the carbs or sweets so badly. And when I did crave sweets, I ate sugar free. You come look in my cupboards now, and I have about every imaginable sugar free candy and cookie out there! Obviously I still cheat, lol. Be VERY careful cheating, cuz the price could be high. Another thing I did was drank an extra Protein shake. I was only allowed 900 calories a day, so my three "meal" Proteins shakes I got were made with milk. If I made a fourth cuz I was so hungry, I mixed it with Water, and add a packet of Splenda. I also added Splenda to my Jello when I made it, the extra "sweetness" enhanced the flavor and made it a bit more satisfying. This worked well for me until I got to eat

Any of us that have been banded fully understand your emotions right now. We have all been through it. But think, at any point in your life that you have been life changing decisions, you felt the same way, I'm sure. This is a big deal and not a decision you came to easily. But this is temporary and shall to pass. Look forward to the positive changes that are coming.. 1. Being able to eat without feeling guilty. Even things that aren't good for you, because you can really only eat a few bites and be satisfied. 2. Walking into any store and buying clothes! Shrinking out of Lane Bryant and Catharines, moving to Old Navy, Aero, etc. 3. Being able to hold your head up because you are proud of yourself for losing the weight. 4. Being comfortable in your own skin and your clothes. 5. Not having your weight restrict your activities. 6. Not being embarassed by your size because you cant fit into a restuarant booth or airplane seat, etc. Good luck with surgery!! You'll do great and not regret it for a moment!

Two years ago I had to have abdominal scar tissue removed from my hysterectomy that was 3 years ago. The pain I felt was intense, sharp stabbing pain. It took exploratory surgery for them to even see I had this scar tissue. This surgery was the reason I had the band done, because my surgical wounds wouldnt heal properly because "you have a VERY deep abdomen." I took that for doctor speak for you're fat. Which I was... Anyways, now I am feeling relatively the same pain, but not so sharp or intense. So I went to my PCM, as its too low in the abdomen for it to be the band. She thinks the pain is coming from the ugly pannus I now have after losing 95 lbs. Unfortunately for me I was a very apple shape, and all the weight I lost is really outta my tummy. The pannus causing pain makes sense to me. My fill doc had already given the ok to do a tummy tuck and breast lift in January/February time frame. However, if the pannus is causing the pain, surgery should be done sooner than that.. Also, the breast lift is because they sag so badly, its pulling on my chest and really setting my asthma off.. So my question is, has anyone else had these issues too? If so, did you do the surgery? My ideal weight is 165, which is 55 lbs away. However, I dont know if I can get that small, at this point anything below 200 is great!!!

lol....and yet, so true!!!!! Ok, I'm not having carb withdrawals, even worse is CRAVINGS!!!! argh!!! lol

What utterly amazes me is how relatively easy Tricare's process for approval is compared to civilian insurance! And lets face it, the government doesnt like to spend money, and for us wanting weight loss surgery, its pretty easy. In fact, civilian insurance companies should be ashamed of themselves. For me personally, by the time I reached my "I'm fed up with being fat" place, I wanted surgery done yesterday, not in a year or more, with abunch of BS requirements, such as a dr. supervised diet for 6 months. Really? Because if we had enough will power to diet and succeed on our own, we wouldnt be wanting a gastric surgery of any kind!!!! Duh, lol!!! We all need to support each, and feel a bit more sympathy for those who have to jump through more hoops than possible sometimes to get approval.. My doctor is doing a research program that I am participating in. He is keeping track of each of his patients who gave consent, on how much they are losing with whatever type of surgery they had. He is running this for 10 years total, and I have no idea how long he has been doing this. However, his ultimate goal is to use these results to press insurance companies into making gastric surgery a covered surgery for all insurances, or better coverage for those that are crappy. It might be worth asking your doctor if they are doing this as well. If this works, think how many more people will be able to obtain bariatric help if they need it! My friend wants this surgery, but it will cost her roughly 40% out of pocket. But she can't afford it, and she is about 500 lbs now, getting worse daily.....

I got told to wait 6 weeks...But now I use the Wii fit Yoga and the Ab Lounger... Surgery was July 24th and too date I have lost 10 inches off of my waist...

Dr. Pepper was my choice. Then before surgery, I got myself switched to diet dr. pepper. However, while my doc did tell me not to drink it for all the reasons we know, I still do...In VERY limited amounts and VERY flat! I use it as my occassional treat. I get a 2 liter, pour an 8 ounce glass and stir the crud outta it. Nice, flat and yummy...And because I only drink it once a week or so, the rest of the 2 liter goes flat for me!!!! Ok, and now, I am gonna duck and cover, cuz I just said to drink it and how to do it, lol!!!!! MHO its better for ME to have a small flat soda as a treat than to tear into a full size candy bar. I am still a human with cravings, this happens to be one I give into instead of fighting it...:thumbup:

The liquid diet was so hard for me to follow, and I did for the most part, with a few slip ups. I was so hungry!! My doc wouldn't let me have full liquids, just clear with Protein shakes. But day by day, you get through it by keeping busy and doing what you need to do to heal. Before you know it, you will be able to eat solids and then, as pp said, bandster hell begins! I'm just about 6 months outta surgery and still not through bandster hell, but almost there as I'm right close to my sweet spot. Its been hard, especially without a fill and I could eat whatever whenever. However, even in bandster hell, you still eat alot less than before surgery. Granted it still more than the cup to cup and a half with proper restriction. But its still less food..Thats a major accomplishment... Take care, keep busy and remember, soon the liquid diet will be over. Ultimately, right before I was done with the liquid diet, I was so sick and tired of Jello, broth, etc..I lost the desire to eat the stuff at all, lol!

Most likely the feeling you have in your tummy is from the muscles being sore from the coughing. Its my understanding that if a band slips, you would have problems swallowing and eating, as the band would slip upward over the esophagus. Its pretty hard to slip a band, I feel. However, as with all of us, it would be better to contact your doctor and they can prescribe something to ease the coughing... Best of luck!

My BMI finally dropped below 40!!! I have a BMI of 39. I had surgery July 24th, my highest weight being 313, and that was right before surgery. Today I weight 252!!! I love my band!!!! Down from a size 26 to an 18 in most everything.... Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all!:willy_nilly:

Thank god its not just me!!!! I am always so cold! And I live in humid New Orleans for goodness sake. I have been such a tightwade about buying new clothes since losing weight. I am not ashamed to admit just last week I brought myself fleece footed jammies, like what kids wear. Can't wait for them to get here!!! Ebay has plus sized ones, for men and women!! I'm pretty sure hubby is tired of me freezing him out with my feet, he'll appreciate this! lol