isaviolinist

That sounds horrible, I'm sorry that happened to you. Your doctor sounds incompetent. He was not concerned that the Fluid was discolored? There should be no reason why it is discolored. Additionally, he should have you come in for an xray right now. You should document everything that has happened (day by day) since the last fill and from today on (including the discolored liquid in your band, and your doctor telling you it was not a problem, when you called him to schedule an exam for the pain you are having, and his response, as well as any pain or episodes you have had or will have). If something happens, god forbid, and you end up in the hospital as a result, you'll want to make sure your doctor is held accountable for his failure to provide adequate and competent care. Otherwise, you will be stuck footing a bill that could get big. I would call again and demand to be seen today or tomorrow. Good luck. :drool:

They're probably fine. Just make sure you don't accidentally swallow little pieces of cartilage. There is a good recipe for crabcakes on my blog: Violinist With A Band You should try it! I love crabcakes!

Thats so cool that you're from Philly! And ironic too :scared2: Thanks for the compliments :drool: I'm really feeling good. I'm seriously motivated to be some category of thin by the next time we go to Korea. I'm so not interested in getting judgemental looks from family/in-laws, or from the general population in Seoul (the stares got old after awhile lol...I don't care if they stare because I'm white, but I hate when the stare because of my weight). I would love to come in Fall or Spring, but sadly, because of my work schedule (I'm a violinist - I perform professionally, and I am also a violin teacher), my main performing and teaching seasons go from September-June. So we'll probably go for 5-6 week in July-August. My fiancee is still in school also, so he has about the same schedule as me. But its okay. Last year when we were in Korea, we took a trip to Club Med in Thailand for a week (which was great in the hot weather...we just sat by the pool all day!), and we spent a weekend in GyeongJu and another few days in Jeju do (SO nice to visit when its hot...you can just swim and take boat rides around...ah, can't wait to go back). And I sleep in my fiancee's air conditioned room when we go and he sleeps in the hot living room lol. During the day I don't mind the heat - but I need a cool place to sleep in haha.

I kind of felt like you - sometimes I thought I was in "bandster-hell" but sometimes I wasn't sure. I got my fourth fill last week - however I have had strep throat since 3 days after the fill and so I haven't eaten any solid food really yet so I'm not sure if I have restriction. I kind of feel like bandster hell is different for everyone. For a lot of people they gain weight. For some its just hunger. For some its frustration with being able to eat larger portions. And sometimes its a combination of a lot of things. I never really gained weight (except for the few weeks when my grandfather died - I gained back 5 pounds. But it wasn't because of bandster hell, it was because I was eating my feelings pretty much...and I was having a lot of feelings...), but sometimes I just felt frustrated that I could eat more than I should've been eating. I'm also still not entirely clear what bandster hell is/was supposed to feel like, but I think I've just concluded that it really is different for each person.

Congrats on your decision! I had a lot of the same feelings of being nervous, hungry, unsure of who to tell, etc. before surgery. I ended up telling SO many people. I was lucky in that everyone was, and is so supportive. The preop diet sounds scary, but actually its amazing and I do self-imposed liquid diets for 5-7 days at a time now and again just to cleanse and kick start the weight loss again. Its good to detox from the carbs now and again too. Before surgery, I lost 20 pounds on the preop diet, and it was so awesome. The weight coming off was more than motivation to stick with it. Also, by the way, I was nervous about the chewing part too. I tried to do it for weeks before my surgery but couldn't. But for some reason, after surgery, its no problem. I guess you just get used to it. And actually, we don't chew our food enough anyways (those who have had WLS and skinny people who haven't). I saw a news report that food today is already pre digested (by that, he meant the food we eat is so processed, it doesn't require the same amount of digestion that it once did and it is unhealthier and we can consume more of it very easily). The chewing, after a little, seems to just come naturally. I was banded in June 09 (about 4.5 months ago). I started my preop diet the beginning of June (or maybe May 31st, I can't remember now!) and since the beginning of the preop diet until now I have lost about 75 pounds. This is the best best BEST thing I have ever done for myself. I have lost almost half of my excess weight and I am not stopping until I reach my goal. I think if you go into this with the mindset that you will succeed and there is no other option, then you will. Good luck and dont be nervous - just enjoy the journey!

I'm not from Korea, but my fiancee is. We go every summer. We were just talking about beginning to plan our trip for this July earlier today. I may join this conversation because I want to feel like I at least have some resources when we go there. Ironically, both of his parents are physicians and one is a prominent physician at Samsung Medical C. in Seoul. However, I definitely do not plan to tell any of his family about my procedure even though I am sure they would be able to make sure I was taken care of. Like most Koreans, they are very judgmental about weight, and even if I were a size 6, they would probably still look at me and think about how obese I am, so I won't give them another thing to judge me about. I am keeping my fingers crossed that I am at least into a size 10 by the summer, which will temporarily appease his mom. Last summer (which was the first time I met his extended family), his aunt gave me a gift card to Shinsegae but I could see, when she handed it to me, she was thinking "what will she ever be able to buy there"? That was a really low point (and I was pretty heavy then...not my heaviest, but getting there). I hope, sometime, I will be able to shop for clothes in Korea. That would feel awesome! Anyways, I will just linger around. Good luck to everyone.

What foods have you been eating? How many calories a day? Do you have restriction at 8 ccs (maybe you need another fill)? What kind of exercise are you doing?

What are you eating? One thing I do pretty religiously is record everything I eat. And its just for me so I am brutally honest about it. I use fitday.com. I like it because I can record my food, exercise, and weight/weight goals there. And it will break down my intake into percentage of Protein, carbs and fat (it will do it by one individual food, a day, week, months, etc.). If you don't already do that, you should start. You may not realize what you're eating. I think the nutritionist said that recommended protein amount for my height/sex was 68-72g per day, but I usually end up getting in about 90. I eat between 800-1000 calories a day (so on avg. - every 100 calories in my diet contains 10g of protein). I really suck at exercising. When I do it, I do it everyday. But if I stop, even for a couple of days, I don't get back to it for months. And right now, I've stopped and I need to get back to it. Good luck!

I'm really sorry to hear about your ordeal :-( Even though fills don't usually hurt, I hate that damn needle (I think its the scary length honestly) and I would freak out if I ever had to be poked more than once. I've had all my fills under fluoro and they've all been quick and accurate. Usually I get an xray (before my surgeon even gets there) before contrast. Then when my surgeon comes, they do another xray. And then, with xray machine still on, my surgeon lines up the needle over the port (he just lays the needle flat on my belly). When he gets the location, he then puts the needle in (and I drink contrast, and he adjusts as necessary). Is this what your doctor did?

I think my fiancee didn't really start actively commenting on the difference in me until around 65 pounds lost or so. But often I have to ask him about it - he won't always actively compliment me. I think its not because hes trying to be cold or that he doesn't notice, but I think its because he doesn't want to put more pressure on me. I put a lot of pressure on myself to lose XX amount of pounds by XX date and he doesn't want to add to that pressure. Maybe that is the case with your hubby, also?

I slept on my back and my right side (my port is on my left side) for probably a month or 5 weeks after surgery. It wasn't the most comfortable as I like to switch sides while I'm sleeping and I also like to sleep on my tummy, but I was too nervous to try to sleep on my stomach. But after that initial period, I was able to sleep on my tummy with no problems at all and I can't feel my port poking. Good luck with the insurance and approval!

It really pisses me off when surgeons put Fluid in the band at the time of surgery. It just seems like the cause of many unnecessary complications. I don't think 3 ccs is necessarily too much for the first fill (my first fill was 5 cc's and I didn't have any restriction afterward), but I am strongly against putting fluid in the band at the time of surgery. Glad you are feeling better now.

I was watching a friend's little baby on Halloween. I'm from Philly, and so after about 7:30 on Halloween, no one was coming by because everyone retreated indoors to watch the game. Anyways, point is, I definitely had *a few* (or more) miniatures. Luckily, there were no reeses pb cups (it seems like we are all addicted to them...glad its not just me). However, and this is gonna sound pathetic, I got strep throat. It started on Halloween morning. So on Saturday I really didn't eat anything, Sunday I ate NOTHING, and today, I just had some soup for the first time tonite. So I actually have lost a pound and a half. I'm not happy that I got strep throat (because the pain in my throat is making me want to kill myself), but I'm kind of happy that I lost and didn't gain this Halloween.

I don't think anyone was being negative - everyone was just being honest and straightforward with you and for good reason. I'm glad your surgery went well. However, many people who have cheated pre-op have not had your good luck and woke up with no band. Anyways, I am happy that you got out of surgery safely. Stick to the post-op diet laid out by your surgeon to the letter - its also there for a reason (i.e. your health and safety). Good luck.

I just use the CVS-brand childrens chewable vitamins. I usually take 3 (but I think you could probably take 2). They are actually really yummy, and I look forward to them (kind of like a little sweet treat before bed lol).

Hi Becky. I don't go to the gym much. I actually go though periods where I go ALOT (7 days a week) and then stop for a couple of months at a time. I still lose fairly quickly (this may be because I am very busy and have a pretty active lifestyle...I'm also a teacher!). We actually have a gym in our building (membership is built into our rent), so there is really no excuse for me not to work out. I want to get back into working out because I know it will make me healthier, and it will also make me more toned. I'm hoping that when I get to goal, I won't have TONS and TONS of extra skin hanging off (I know there will be some, but I can minimize it a little by working out). I feel better when I work out. But I had the same fears as you, before I got banded. I figured, I had tried EVERYTHING else and still couldn't lose the weight, so why would banding be any different? But I'm 75 pounds down since the beginning of June. A lot of people also told me that I would probably only lose 40% of my excess body weight with gastric band, and I could just do that with a regular diet. Well I've already lost almost 50% and I have no intention of stopping until I get to goal. I think the key is being determined to succeed and not accepting any other alternative. For me, that is the only option. Good luck!

Yes, just relax and let the healing begin haha. In all seriousness, just focus on getting better - the last thing you need is tons of stress. Its not good or helpful for getting better. After my surgery, I was totally stressed out (about everything), but I just let it all go for like 2 weeks. I let people take care of me and didn't worry about anything but myself. Sounds selfish, but I found it was SO necessary. Good luck!!

Sounds like you might need a fill. What does your doctor/nutritionist say about calorie intake per day? Generally, I have heard that between 800-1200 calories a day is ideal (although every doctor is different). Also, what kinds of foods are you eating and how much are you able to eat at one time (more than a cup?)? Maybe you should start writing down your food intake and activities as well. This really helps me get back on track when I start gaining.

I just got another fill today. I'm hoping this will be my sweet spot. I'm also hoping it will help me get to my goal of 199.9 for thanksgiving (13.5 pounds to go). That way I will be solid for my NYNY goal. If not, I will just tack it on. I REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY REALLY would like to start the New Year UNDER 200 pounds (for the first time in God knows how long).

Hey Michelle! I feel silly giving advice since I've only had the band since June, but sometimes when I really feel like I've gotten off track (like if Im eating ice cream everyday, for example), I go on a liquid diet. Basically a pre-op diet (although I try to do 2 days of Clear liquids to get started). Not only does it rid my body of all of the carbs (and at the same time, get rid of the bad carb cravings) but it jump-starts my weight loss which is a HUGE motivator to me. It seems like if you wanted to start over, you should start at where you began! I also write down EVERYTHING I eat. I do it on fitday.com but there are many places to do it. I like fitday because it adds up my calories, and also breaks down my food as well as my daily, weekly, monthly intake into percentage of fats, carbs, and Proteins. This way I can see where I'm lacking or overdoing it. And its only for you, so be brutally honest. You should probably also make an appt with your doctor. Maybe you need a fill? Maybe you should meet with the nutritionist? I'm sure your doctor will be able to and will be happy to help you out. You can do it! Stick around here for support - its a great place to get advice and support from people going through similar things.

I just got my 4th fill today. I didn't do the pouch test, but I essentially went on a self-imposed preop diet for the past week before my fill. I was eating a lot of junk, and it was a good way for me to get back on track. I have to do clear liquids for the next 3 days, and then full liquids for a couple days after that. I'm hoping when I can eat solid foods (it will have been about 2 weeks on liquids diet by then) I will have lost more weight and will also have the right amount of restriction (I feel like Im close)! Anyhow, I would go for the 5 day pouch test. If anything, it will help you get back to the basics. Good luck!

I think the hunger is pretty normal! One thing that has helped me, and I've been doing it from the very beginning is keeping a log of what I eat. I do it on fitday.com but there are a lot of sites. You search for your foods (or you can make a custom food), add them to your food log and it will calculate your calories, as well as percentage of carbs, fat, Proteins, etc. You can also track your weight on there. This helps me to know if I am eating too much. You can also measure things (either with a scale or with a cup measure). That way you know if you are eating a cup of food (or however much you are trying to eat). Good luck!

I was never told that either. I was more or less just told a balanced diet (protein first, then veggies). I personally try to stay away from a lot of bad carbs (although I have a serious sweet tooth and I indulge it sometimes) but I definitely eat beans and milk (did your doctor say no milk? there are a lot of carbs in milk but I think they're fine...plus if you drink milk or mix it with a protein drink its a good source of extra protein, and calcium, obviously), tofu, etc. You should ask your doc or nutritionist to clarify, because that doesn't sound right to me.

I don't eat very much rice now that I'm banded (I get all my maki wrapped in cucumber instead of sticky rice now) but from what I understand it will expand as it absorbs more Fluid and because of that has the potential to get really stuck. So you could be in a lot of pain, it might come back up, anything else you eat on top of it might not go back down or may come up, OR it may be fine for you. Its really different for everyone. On the rare occasions that I have had rice, I eat a small amount (like one small forkful) and then leave it. But I haven't had any rice since having even a little bit of restriction. If you want rice, I would go for a non-glutinous kind (long-grain, like basmati for example). Good luck and I hope you stick around and post more!

CONGRATS!! I cant wait to be where you are! I got my 4th fill today and am hoping I will be at my sweet spot now! You should be so proud of yourself!!