abbypoo

I know I was MIA for a while, but is everyone else as well?! I'd like to hear from the August Bandsters and see how everyone is doing. Anyhow, as we approach our first year "bandiversary" I hope that everyone is doing well. Hope to hear from you all! My own status update: As of today 43 lbs down, thought I'd be twice that by now Maybe I would have if I had found restriction early on, but I did not find restriction until 6 months after surgery. Consequently, I didn't start losing weight until 6 months after surgery as well. I am steadily losing 1 lb a week, sometimes 2 if I'm lucky. I still don't exercise as much, but I am definitely more active. Besides restriction, another big change that has worked for me was switching my diet from "average American" to almost exclusively organic and/or vegetarian (I can afford it now since I don't eat much!) I am doing it purely for the health benefits, and so far, so good. I am finally taking my daily Vitamin regularly and I have noticed elevated mood and energy and less hair loss! If you're like me and weren't remembering to take yours, I hope you do b/c it really is so important. So that is me, chugging along but very optimistic! At 235 now my goal is to be under 200 by my wedding in December... I know the only way that's going to happen is if I begin a regular exercise routine (eww) Wish me luck, because I'd really like to like to exercise :eek:

Wow, everyone has done such a good job! I'm so proud of everyone and might I say CONGRATULATIONS on your hard work. I think there is a big misconception out there that losing weight via lap band is effortless, we obviously know otherwise!

Well I probably won't remember to come on here on my bandiversary, which is Aug. 12th, so I'll go ahead and report now. I am now at 232, down from 278! I've lost a total of 46 lbs, and am steadily losing about a pound a week. The first six months were really tough, I didn't lose any weight and actually gained a little I think. I finally met the right amount of restriction and have been working really hard to eat better. I'm also FINALLY, but slowly incorporating exercise. I really thought a year from surgery I would have lost twice as much weight as I have now, but I am still proud of where I am. I think that if I had started eating right from the beginning and if my fill-doctor was closer I would be closer to goal. However, I really can't complain. I will get there! Hope everyone else is doing well! Btw Triplet... AMAZING! You now weigh less than me, and started out like 100 lbs heavier. You go!!!!!!!!!

I thought I'd write this post because before I had my surgery I seriously considered getting banded in Mexico. As a full-time student who was self-pay, the lowest price was DEFINITELY a consideration for me. In the end I ended up driving six hours from my home in Wisconsin to Detroit, Michigan. While I did not go to Mexico for my surgery, I still went far from home and aftercare in Detroit was not an option for me. Of course I did all my research and lined up a surgeon who would do my fills after surgery at pretty reasonable price. I have no complaints about my aftercare physician or my whole lapband experience in general. But this post isn't about the quality of care in the United States vs. abroad, it's about fills. Since I was banded in August 2010, I have had to go the surgeon for fills/unfills at least six times, maybe more. I have only lost 42 lbs thus far, so I'm sure I can count on going at least a few more times before I am at my goal weight. The point here that I'm trying to make is that when all is said and done I will have seen my fill doctor almost 10 times. This is important to take into consideration when you're thinking about getting banded abroad because you either have to pay for a plane ticket each time, or usually pay a lot of money for fills because the few doctors who actually do fills on patients banded out of country, charge anywhere from $100 to $500 per fill (the average range being $150-$300). Before I got banded and I was thinking about going to Mexico I knew I would need aftercare, but I didn't think I would need to go so often. Now I am not saying everyone will need as many fills as me, in fact, some people never have any. What I am saying is that it should be taken into consideration before making the decision of where to get your surgery... because getting fills will almost be guaranteed to be both inconvenient and expensive. Thanks for listening to my two cents, Abby

I wanted to know everyone's experience with restriction. Before I was banded I thought that being restricted meant feeling full. Well, all I can say is that I experienced a rude awakening. To me, restriction is being able to eat so much and then feeling uncomfortable or slight pain or pressure telling me to stop eating. It doesn't feel anything like full and it's usually not the best feeling, but it does make me stop eating. What is everyone else's experience? I'd love to know.

MissK! Don't beat yourself up. While you shouldn't be consuming empty calories and junk food, I personally believe that if your band is tight enough you will not gain weight... you might not lose it, but I think weight gain is a sign of a band that is too loose. If it had been 4 months since your last appointment, I would bet money that you were in need of another fill... you lose restriction as you lose weight! I hope things are better now and that you're back on track. I finally started losing weight and I am steadily, but also very slowly losing weight at about a pound a week.

Hey everyone, It's been a long time since I participated in this forum. As many of you know I was banded back in August, and up until recently I hadn't lost any weight. Part of this was complete lack of effort on my behalf (eating candy and fast food etc..) but also I wasn't experiencing any restriction. For me it is really hard to see my surgeon for fills because it is a two hour drive and he only does fills on Mondays, so it has taken me this long to finally have some restriction. Now that I finally am experiencing some restriction I have begun to lose weight. Hopefully I will continue to do so and I will have a success story like the rest of you on here! Anyway, did anyone else not lose any weight before they felt restriction?

Hey Lisa, I was just wondering how things were going with you? I too have the problem that my fills seems to be either too restrictive or not enough. Basically, when I get fills I get it so tight that I can just barely get down water and after a week or two it loosens up and I can eat solids again. I am thinking that you should advance very slowly, like .25 ccs at a time. Because when you get a fill and it's too much, the pressure of trying to drink the water causes everything to swell, so when they take out saline they will end up taking out too much because you will have less restriction once the swelling goes down. Ahh, does this make sense? Anyway, I hope things are going better for you! Every morning I weigh myself, and 9 times out of 10 I'm sooo disappointed, but I love those days when the scale has made that tiny move in the right direction!

I think port pain is pretty normal. I am still quite "voluptuous" so my port doesn't stick out at all, but I do experience pain from time to time. Sometimes it's just irritating, but other times it is pretty acute. I'm sure your surgeon's nonchalance has more to do with this being a common issue than actually lacking concern for you. I'm sorry I can't offer any useful information, but at least you know you're not the only one out there.

No kidding about it almost being a year! I thought by a year after surgery I would have lost like 100 pounds, now I'm seeing that it's going to be about half that. I can't complain, though, I mean ANY weight loss over a year is better than gain if you ask me. I can't believe you dropped from a size 22 to a size 14! Good job, I have lost 42 freakin' pounds and gone from a size 20/22 to a solid 18... wtf!!!! Sorry, just venting, but I am really am so happy for you. And good job on the exercise! I still haven't really adopted an active lifestyle, and that's probably one of the things holding me back.

Hey I'm sorry about your pain! I just want to let you know that you have definitely not failed your band. Just because you can't exercise does not mean you won't lose weight. I didn't start losing weight until February even though I was on an injured knee and completely inactive until this month. It really is all a matter of restriction. Maybe you just need that half a cc, you know? The worst thing you can do is feel like you've given up though, because in my experience that hinders weight loss even more.

Hi. I just wanted to say, don't feel discouraged. I was also banded in August, and I didn't start losing a single pound until Feb. of this year. You're right in that we are learning that it isn't magic, but eventually the weight will come off assuming there aren't any complications. Sometimes it just takes that perfect amount of saline. For me, in order to lose weight I have to have my band so tight that I can hardly eat solids for the first couple weeks after a fill. It's not fun, but it's all that works. And you have to say to yourself, do you think you would have lost the weight you have so far without the band? I know I couldn't have. Anyway, hope you're feeling better to know you're not alone.

Congrats Jason! You have made amazing progress!!! I am so happy for you, and just amazed. You have done a lot better on your own than many people do with bariatric surgery in general. Keep up the good work, and I can't wait to hear that you're under 300. Hearing this really makes me want to get my own arse into gear!

I have the answer you are looking for! Synchrony Health Chicago, located in Oak Brook. I was self-pay for my lap-band and this is where I go for my fills. They charge a one time fee of $250 to take you on and each fill is $95. So, the first time you go you have to shell out a hefty $350, but it's an affordable $95 from there on out. I hope this helps, they are cheapest I've found in the Chicagoland area. To all of you who wrote rude comments about her financial situation... shame on you.

So I've been really lucky to have healed really well from my surgery with absolutely no complications. I never had gas pain, nausea or anything else that I've heard so many people suffer from after their surgeries. That being said, I DON'T HAVE ANY RESTRICTION EITHER! If I let myself, I could keep eating and eating, and I could probably guzzle as much Water as I wanted to. I am still losing about a pound a week, but I'm afraid that will stop when I go back to a normal diet. Anyway, anyone else in Bandster Hell? From these forums I've read it's pretty common, but I am wondering if there are any fellow August Bandits out there who are going through the same thing as me? I can't wait for my first fill! Hopefully I'll feel at least a little restriction.

Wow Jason, you have lost almost 100 pounds all on your own. Congratulations! I bet it's starting to look easier every day. Think about it, at the beginning of your journey you probably thought "wow, I have so much weight to lose." Now you can say to yourself "wow, I'm more than a third of the way there in less than six months!" Have you been getting a lot of surprised looks from people who haven't seen you in a while? Do you have more energy now? I'm so happy for you and I'm glad that you're still losing steadily. Keep up the good work!

Hey Noor, I realized that I didn't have restriction when I started eating mushies, which was this week. The pouch is only meant to hold 3-6 ounces, I can eat WAY more than that, so it's obvious that the food is just sliding right through. That being said, I do feel fuller faster than I did before I had the surgery, so I'm confident that with fills I will reach that "sweet-spot." That's correct, Dr. Webber doesn't do fills until six weeks, and I'd say most surgeons wait 4-6 weeks before doing the first fill. Sometimes it happens sooner, but that's usually on a case-by-case basis. They want to make sure you're fully healed first. I've heard that the time between the surgery is a time to focus on healing, and if weight-loss happens you are lucky. I guess I was just hoping I'd be one of those lucky ones. I am not getting my fills with Dr. Webber because it's an inconvenience for me to go back to Detroit. He gave me the go-ahead to see a surgeon in Chicago to get my aftercare, and that surgeon also requires you to be six weeks post-op before receiving your first fill. When are you having your surgery? I'm glad that my blog is giving you some insight, I found it really helpful to talk to people who were banded by the same physician/group when I was preparing for surgery as well. If you are still nervous about the surgery, don't be. I'm going to give it to you straight. The pre-op diet isn't fun, and the first couple days after surgery are the worst. Also, the first couple of weeks of the post-op diet are hard, but after that life is almost 100% normal again. Then it's pretty much the waiting game to find that "sweet spot" (unless you are one of the lucky ones), and then you're pretty much good to go. This is assuming you don't have complications. You're in good hands with Dr. Webber, though. I was told by MANY of the staff at the hospital that he was a great surgeon, and his credentials speak for themselves. If you have any other questions let me know.

Glad to know I'm not alone. I was beginning to feel like I was the only one! Maybe we are just really good healers :w00t: Anyway, if it helps I read in a forum that during the time we are in bandster hell we have to work for our band (i.e. self-control), and then when we get to our sweet-spot our band will work for us. I'm trying my hardest not to go crazy, but I wish the pounds would shed a little more effortlessly, ya know?

I had my surgery on the 12th and am just now entering my third week post-op. I was in a lot of pain the first two days after surgery, but other than that I haven't experienced any problems. No gas pains, no infections, no nausea or vomiting. My only complaint is that I just started eating mushies and I hardly have any restriction. I'm not too worried because I've been losing about 2.5 pounds a week since my surgery, but it would be nice to feel the restriction now like so many others are feeling. I hope that when I start eating solids I'll start feeling more restricted, but in any case my first fill is scheduled for Sept. 21st. Besides a little pain around my incision from time to time and the fact that I can only eat certain foods, you can hardly tell that I just had surgery! So far it's been a good experience, but the sluggish weight loss and lack of restriction qualifies me as being in "Bandster Hell."

Are you drinking a protein shake? They have (obviously) a ton of protein and usually range from 100-300 calories per serving. The one I use is about 250 calories per serving, but it tastes good with water, while the one my mom uses is about 130 per serving but only tastes good with milk. Just some "food' for thought

I wouldn't feel too bad about it. What you did was obviously not a good thing, but in all likelihood you probably didn't do any real damage. My surgeon said that most of the healing is done by two weeks after the surgery, and that the major reason for the post-op diet after two weeks is to slowly reintroduce solids in order to avoid vomiting (which can do real damage). I'm not condoning what you did, just trying to ease your worries a bit. So you had your little mess up, now the guilt will keep you from doing it again Just try not to feel like you're a horrible person or some kind of failure. I think a lot of overweight people have this kind of mentality about themselves, and it's something we need to lose in addition to the pounds. We are just like everyone else, the only difference is that our weaknesses are visible for the world to see. Good luck, and remember to learn from your mistakes and then just put them behind you!

I don't have the numbness that you're talking about, but I have read this a lot on the boards and it seems to be pretty common, so trust what your doctor says and that everything is fine. As far as swelling goes, I think I know what you're talking about mommy. I am now two weeks post-op, and today is the first day that my tummy doesn't seem big and swollen.